Eva Winter, head of the health department in Graz, confirmed a corresponding report in the “Kleine Zeitung” on Wednesday. In the event of an infection with whooping cough, unvaccinated adults or older children without a booster are particularly at risk for infants. These can only be vaccinated from the age of two months, as Winter said.
Vaccination rate at 85 percent
According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccination rate was 85 percent for one to two year olds and 93 percent for two to four year olds. Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease and is primarily caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease must be reported in Austria, Winter described in an interview with the APA. Transmission occurs via droplet infection. Infants and small children as well as older people are particularly affected by severe cases. “Although adults often notice little more than a cough when they are infected, the bacterium can become threatening when it hits newborns,” says Winter. According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), most deaths occur in the first year of life.
Vaccination is the most effective protection to prevent the disease and infection. For babies, vaccination is only possible from the age of two months, with further partial vaccinations in the fifth and eleventh month. For women who want to have children, a booster treatment is recommended in the third trimester of pregnancy so that children are as well protected as possible from birth. After the basic immunization in infancy, booster vaccinations are recommended in the seventh to ninth year of life and then every ten years.
2780 whooping cough infections were reported in the previous year
According to the Styria Health Directorate, 2,780 whooping cough infections were reported across Austria last year. 445 reports have already been received in Styria this year. In Graz alone there are three to four every day, as Winter said.
According to the Ministry of Health, a sharp increase in cases of illness has recently been observed in Austria. The number of adults suffering from whooping cough with complications and a long-term course has also increased significantly in recent years. According to preliminary figures from the ministry, 579 cases of whooping cough were reported in Austria in 2015. In 2016 there were 1,274 cases, in 2017 there were already 1,411 case reports, and in 2018 there were almost 2,200 cases. Vaccination fatigue has continued to increase during the corona pandemic. Last year the number rose to 2,780 whooping cough cases. What is particularly noticeable is a significant increase in illnesses in adulthood, with the 40 to 45 year old age group being particularly affected. There has also been a significant increase in whooping cough cases among 15 to 20 year olds and 65 to 70 year olds.
When is it contagious?
There is a risk of infection from the first cough – the sick person is highly contagious – until around five weeks after the onset of the illness. The Ministry of Health therefore advises patients with pertussis in hospital or in community facilities such as kindergartens or schools to remain isolated from other people for five to seven days after starting antibiotic therapy. If antibiotics are not administered, the period should be extended to 21 days, the ministry advises. After an infection, a booster vaccination should be given after about five years.
Antibiotic therapy can only have a positive effect on the duration and severity of the disease if it is given as early as possible, i.e. before the cough begins or in the first one to two weeks after the cough begins. The elimination of pathogens and the reduction in pathogen excretion should break the chain of infection.
Whooping cough often begins inconspicuously with a runny nose and dry cough; fever does not necessarily occur. After one to two weeks, the typical clinical picture occurs with barking, jerky and convulsive coughing attacks, sometimes even leading to vomiting. In addition to the typical cough attacks, which can sometimes last for weeks or months, infants and small children are particularly at risk from particularly severe illnesses with accompanying pneumonia and the increased risk of respiratory arrest.
This article was updated at 4:21 p.m.
