It’s not just measles that’s making a comeback, there’s a higher number of whooping cough (AKA pertussis) cases this year, too.
While measles is spreading mostly due to vaccinations, whooping cough is a little less straightforward. Measles is spreading out of pockets of people who aren’t vaccinated, and into those who are (vaccination provides protection from the more severe side-effects). With whooping cough, the vaccine wears off, possibly as soon as three years, so a booster shot is needed. When it spreads, everyone is at risk. With all diseases, people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. With whooping cough, that’s doubly true.
Strong, healthy people experience whooping cough symptoms as a bad cold, making it easy to go out and among others with the disease. But if a person with a weakened immune system gets whooping cough (especially the very young or old), it can be serious. Whooping cough spreads easily and can be anywhere, and can get serious quickly if you have a weakened immune system.
Whooping cough is so named because those who experience the full force of whooping cough symptoms cough so hard they make a whooping noise, and can emit so much air they turn blue. It can get serious fast, so prevention is best, if hard to do since you can’t diagnose whooping cough off of whooping cough symptoms in healthy people.
Avoid all people with a cough and other cold like symptoms to help prevent catching whooping cough (and if you’re sick, stay home!), And don’t forget some protection from immune supporting colloidal silver. There’s more whooping cough to come this year, so be prepared.
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