Children's Services

Commonly Heard Terms

WARMER

An open mattress with a heat source above it. It is used to warm the baby and to stabilize the baby's temperature after delivery. It also provides easy access to the baby in order to provide care when the baby is in the special care nursery.

WHOOPING COUGH

Whooping cough or pertussis is a very contagious disease that is caused by a bacteria. It spreads easily from person to person through germs in the air. Children with whooping cough can spread germs up to two weeks after the infection starts. Usually whooping cough begins with a runny nose and cough that becomes more frequent and severe.

During the coughing attack, your child may become blue in the face and may vomit afterwards. After each attack of coughing, a loud whoop may be heard as the child takes in a breath. The cough is generally worse at night and may last up to three months. Infants can become very ill with it and may have difficulty breathing. They may require hospitalization and some even need to be on a ventilator.

Whooping cough can be prevented with a DPTP and HIB series vaccine, which is included in the normal immunization, scheduled for babies. The risk of complications from whooping cough in infants is much greater than risks from the vaccine. A child may still acquire whooping cough, even if they have received the vaccine. Generally, the disease is milder in previously vaccinated children.

Whooping cough can be diagnosed by a nasal scraping test or by a blood test. It can and should be treated by appropriate antibiotics.

An antibiotic such as Erythromycin is used to decrease the spread to other people but it doesn't help the cough once it has started. Family members are often treated as well. If a person is treated prior to the cough starting, the Erythromycin can prevent the cough.