Reason for choosing disease
The reason why I chose this disease for further research, is because of an infant in San Joaquin County that had died on the fifth of this month and year. The infant was three weeks old and is the county’s first death from this particular disease. So this incident intrigue me to learn and do more research on this disease.
The name of the disease and the etiology The name of this disease is Pertussis and also known as the Whooping cough. According to the CDC website, the etiology of this disease is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria attach to the cilia (tiny, hair-like extensions) that line part of the upper respiratory system. The bacteria release toxins, which damage the cilia and cause inflammation (swelling) (Pertussis, 2014). …show more content…
Similarly, in Alameda County case counts are up from 124 in 2013 to 328 cases as of Nov. 26. The majority (89%) of statewide cases with known ages have occurred in infants and children 18 years of age or younger. One death in an infant 5 weeks old has been reported with disease onset in 2014 (Pertussis, 2015). According to CDC, in developing countries, Pertussis remains a major health problem among children in developing countries, with 195,000 deaths resulting from the disease in 2008 (World Health Organization estimate) (Pertussis, 2014).
The incubation period From McKinley Health Center, the duration of the infection is 7-14 days, but may be as long as three weeks and in length of infectious terms is only contagious for 5-7 days if antibiotic therapy is begun (Pertussis,