Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-12-03
WHOOP|NG COUGH
DANGEROUS DISEASE
Georgia State Board of Health Points
Out Necessity for Extreme Care
on Part of Mothers.

AIAoHtdS dd.-NopeCldlJ - MUluOT5
who CONSIDER whooping cough a triv-
ial disease make serious and often
fatal mistake, says the Georgia State
Board of Health. On the other hand,
1t is very fatal; IT. causes every year
in the United States nearly or quite
as many deaths as scarlet fever, and
almost one-half as many deaths as
diphtheria.
Approximately 5000 deaths in the
United States are caused annually by
whooping cough, and of these about
81 per cent. are of children under
five years of age. If the child reaches
five years of age without having the
disease, the chances are strongly in
favor of his escaping it altogether,
though it is by no means certain and
1t is we'll to continue to take precau-
tons against it whenever necessary.
Thus, it is the babies who suffer
most from whooping cough and whose
lives are too often laid down in need
less sacrifice to it. Save the babies
from it and the problem is solved.
Considering the danger in whooping
cough, its fatality resulting more
largely from complications that fol-
low it than from the disease itself, it
is strange that so many mothers look
on 1t lightly, and have even been
known in some instances to permit
their children to be exposed to it
while young upon the theory that
they are better able to stand it and
that it is well for them to have it
early and be through with it. This
is a mistaken and dangerous view to
take. Inflammation of the breathing
tubes, which is severe in this DIS
ease, is often followed by pneumonia
of an exceedingly fatal type. Besides
being one OF the most frequent caus-
es OF pneumonia i'll chiluIen KIaney
and heart disease often tolIow.
Whooplng cough is a highly con-
tagious disease ia which the breath
ing tubes are severely .ntamed, and
which is accompanied by peculiar
paroAysmal cough ending lu Lne la
mlllar 'wnoop. Inc real cause Oh
the disease ls not knoWn: there nave
been many theories mVOiVlng nunIer
Gus germs, but none OF them mas ever
Deen proven out. That the disease
Is spreau Almost enL.4eIy W lInneuI-
ate contdcl-a contact wnIcn must De
,d fr,ft 70
erauy accepted view as TO the man
ner OF It's contraction When one
enid IN a nome has IL, the oCners are
practically Sure 70 contract IL. 1t is
not generally beLeVeu 70 We carried
by oIner persons or through injected
cIoth ng or other articles. Close con
tact viii spread IL Id the open air,
but it is not so liable to do 30 as IN
the house.
FOR the first few days after con-
tracing the uisease the chIld seems
10 nave an ordinary cold winch does
not yield TO customary treatment The
cold Will cont nue. Tor a week or ten
days; the chnd grows fever.sh and
restless. the cough becomes graduai-
ly deeper and harsner; the CHI Id also
suffers from loss OF appetite and may
DGCOH6 I6bIltSS anu SlStpicSb az
night. The next stage is more Sc
we're, bringing the paroxysms of
coughing from which the disease gets
its name. If the child is in bed,
coughing spell may come on without
waning; il up and a5out it may be
restless and disturbed, seeming to feel
that an attack is coming on. Amy
slight disturbance such as eating,
drinking or crying will bring on a
spell Beginning with short cough,
there follows a long series of coughs
Which gradually become shorter and
shorter, racking the whole body and
causing the greatest distress. At the
end of the series of coughs the child
is breathless; its breath is drawn in
with a sudden catch and whoop.
Sometimes three or four attacks may
come in succession, leaving the child
completely exhausted
Every case of whooping cough
should be treated by phys clan, for
proper treatment not only lessons the