Where There Is No Doctor 2011 313
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough begins a week or two after
being exposed to a child who has it. It starts like a
cold with fever, a runny nose, and cough.
Two weeks later, the whoop begins. The child
coughs rapidly many times without taking a
breath, until she coughs up a plug of sticky
mucus, and the air rushes back into her lungs
with a loud whoop. While she is coughing, her
lips and nails may turn blue for lack of air. After
the whoop, she may vomit. Between coughing
spells the child seems fairly healthy.
Whooping cough often lasts 3 months or more.
Whooping cough is especially dangerous in babies under 1 year of age, so
vaccinate children early. Small babies do not develop the typical whoop so it is hard
to be sure if they have whooping cough or not. If a baby gets fits of coughing and
swollen or puffy eyes when there are cases of whooping cough in your area, treat
her for whooping cough at once.
Treatment:
♦ Antibiotics are helpful only in the early stage of whooping cough, before the
whoop begins. It is especially important to treat babies under 6 months at
the first sign. Use erythromycin (p. 354). If you do not have erythromycin, try
cotrimoxazole (p. 357), but only use cotrimoxazole for children over 8 weeks old.
♦ If the cough causes convulsions, phenobarbital (p. 389) may help.
♦ If the baby stops breathing after a cough, turn her over and pull the sticky
mucus from her mouth with your finger. Then slap her on the back with the flat
of your hand.
♦ To avoid weight loss and malnutrition, be sure the child gets enough nutritious
food. Have her eat and drink shortly after she vomits.
Complications:
A bright red hemorrhage (bleeding) inside the white of the eyes may be caused
by the coughing. No treatment is necessary (see p. 224). If seizures or signs of
pneumonia develop (p. 171), get medical help.
Protect all children against whooping cough. See that
they are vaccinated at 2, 4, 6, and 18 months of age.
Diphtheria
This begins like a cold with fever, sore throat, and hoarse
voice. A yellow-gray coating or membrane may form in the back
of the throat, and sometimes in the nose and on the lips. The
child’s neck may become swollen. His breath smells very bad.