Pertussis is a bacterial respiratory illness characterized by severe spasms of coughing that can last for several weeks or even for months. Pertussis is usually spread from person-to-person through close contact with respiratory droplets released when a person coughs or sneezes. Before the introduction of vaccination in the 1940s, pertussis was a major cause of serious illness and death among infants and young children in the United States.

acellular pertussis vaccine (combined with tetanus and diphtheria antigens) is now available for adolescents and adults (dTpa, or Boostrix). This vaccine should not be given as a primary vaccination series against pertussis; further, no recommendations about additional booster doses using adult/adolescent formulation dTpa can be made at this time.

A cough is the sound made when the lungs suddenly expel air and secretions from the airways. A cough can have many causes but it is usually caused by a viral infection of the upper airways. A cough is a symptom of an infection and a necessary evil. A cough can be your friend serving to rid the windpipe of nasty phlegm. When it keeps the child and family awake at night, it becomes the enemy. The main treatment of a cough is good oral hydration to help loosen the secretions.

increasing number of cases of pertussis have been reported to the CDC since the 1980s. The increases are greatest among adolescents (aged 10-19 years), but an increase is also seen among infants younger than 5 months old. The reported increases may reflect greater awareness of pertussis to some degree. Even with the increase in reports among adolescents and very young infants, the number of reported cases is more than 97 % lower than in the pre-vaccine era.

Infants under the age of 12 months have more serious illness from pertussis and they are more likely to have complications and be hospitalized than persons in other age groups. In the 1990s, about two thirds of infants reported with pertussis were hospitalized. Infants are more likely to have pneumonia or convulsions. Infants also are at greatest risk of fatal pertussis. In recent years, 15 to 21 infant deaths from pertussis are reported to CDC annually.

The case-reports of pertussis among infants younger than 5 months have been increasing since the 1980s. This age group is too young to be well protected by DTaP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis) vaccine. For example, the number of case-reports among infants younger than 5 months was about 600 per year in the early 1980s, and about 1,700 per year at the end of the 1990s.

In the U.S., we have the vaccine called DTaP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine). DTaP is safe and effective, and prevents severe pertussis and death among infants and young children. The best way to protect infants from pertussis is to give DTaP vaccine starting on time at 2 months of age. Parents should vaccinate their infant on-time (at 2, 4, and 6 months of age) and complete all the recommended doses of DTaP vaccine to best protect their infant.

There is a good chance that we will see a pertussis vaccine licensed for persons beyond childhood somewhere in the future. The hard questions to answer are: Who will get it? When will they get it? and How often will they get it? Currently there is no adult pertussis-containing vaccine licensed for this use in this country, but there is in Canada. We will have to see how the clinical trials go and how FDA and ACIP recommend its use.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is extremely contagious. Before widespread immunization, virtually all children contracted whooping cough. Small children get the sickest while adults appear only to have a bad cold. In recent years 4,200 cases of pertussis have been officially reported. Pertussis is the common cause for undiagnosed chronic cough in adults and older children.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra provides complimentary cough drops at the concierge desk located in the entrance lobby. The use of still, video and digital cameras or audio recording equipment is strictly prohibited at all times.

A pair or family (3-4) of Whooping Cranes can usually be seen from the Observation Tower generally from mid October through March. They feed in the marsh during daylight hours. Be sure to ask at the Visitor Center front desk for the latest sightings. If you want to see many whoopers, you’ll need to take a boat trip out of Rockport. For the latest information on boat tours, call the Rockport Chamber of Commerce at 361-729-6445 or 1-800-242-0071 (in Texas). Out of state, call 1-800-826-6441.

average of more than 160,000 cases and more than 5,000 deaths were reported every year in the 1920s-30s. At its peak during this period, the annual number of case-reports was more than 250,000 with up to 9,000 deaths. In the 1940s, whole-cell pertussis vaccine combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DTP) was introduced, and case-reports of pertussis decreased more than 99% by 1976, when the number of reported cases reached a record-low of 1,010 cases.

DTaP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis) vaccine is recommended for all infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. An additional dose of DTaP vaccine is recommended at 15-18 months of age and at 4-6 years of age. It is important that young infants start their DTaP vaccination without delay at 2 months of age.

Although some viruses (such as the common cold or influenza) are spread through aerosol droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs, HIV is not transmitted in this manner.

Most over-the-counter suppressants and cough drops contain sugar, so be wary! These can inhibit your weight loss. However, ask your pharmacist about sugar-free, alcohol-free cough suppressants these are acceptable.

The only remaining natural population nests in Wood Buffalo National Park, in Canada's Northwest Territory, and winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the Texas gulf coast. Whooping Cranes were once found over most of North America-from the arctic to central Mexico and from the mid-Atlantic coast and New England to Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. A flock of non-migratory (resident) birds persisted in southwestern Louisiana until the late 1940s.

Whooping Cranes feed, nest, and roost in marshes (coastal marshes in Texas), lakeshores, and open grasslands-where there is minimal disturbance by humans.

Whooping Cranes eat aquatic invertebrates (insects, crustaceans, and mollusks), small vertebrates (fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals), roots, acorns, and berries.

The nesting season in Wood Buffalo National Park begins in late April or early May. In central Florida it begins in January and extends through May.