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Pertussis or Whooping cough
| Generalities | |
|---|---|
| Agent | Bacteria: Bordetella pertussis (the bacillus of pertussis) or Bordetella parapertussis (causes parapertussis) |
| Incubation period | 9-10 days (6-20 days) |
| Period of transmissibility | - During the early catarrahal phase (up to 3 weeks) - No longer after 5 days of antibiotic treatement |
| Reservoir | - Humans for B. pertussis - Ovins for B. parapertussis |
| Modes of transmission | Person-to-person: direct contact with droplets and respiratory discharges, rarely by indirect contact though contaminated objects or air |
| Clinical presentation | - Upper respiratory infection - Complications: apnea (<1 y), encephalopathy, hernias, death - Mis-diasgnosed among adults |
| Resources | |
| Case definition | MOPH circular no. 109 (2006) |
| Forms | - General reporting form - Pertussis investigation form |
| Data | Refer to "Surveillance data" webpage |
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