Pertussis is an extremely contagious respiratory disease which causes uncontrollable coughing. Pertussis' more common name is “whooping cough.”
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection, cause by the bacterium bordetella pertussis (shown to the right). These bacterium attach to the cillia in your upper airways. While attached, these bacteria release toxins that cause your airways to swell. This swelling then makes it painful and difficult for the infected to breathe.
Whooping cough is known to only be transmitted from person to person through these methods:
All of these ways are methods of transmission because whooping cough is an airborne disease. Once coughing starts to become one of the symptoms of the infected, it is then when they become the most contagious.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There are a few factors that can make you more susceptible to contracting pertussis. Some include:
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Out of these 3 factors, age is by far the one that determines who gets pertussis the most, as shown in the graph to the right. Young children, especially those under the age of 1, have a higher risk of contracting this disease. This part of the population is so much more likely to contract it than any other age group because their immune systems are so weak. Before the age of 1, children’s lungs are still underdeveloped and aren’t able to adequately fight against the bacterium. This underdevelopment leaves them severely susceptible to contracting the disease.
In regards to where you live, if you live somewhere where the majority of the population isn't vaccinated, than it is much more likely for you to contract pertussis. Furthermore, if you live in a place that is dirty and unsanitary, than it is easier for diseases to be transmitted in these situations as well.
Related to the previous factor, vaccinations will be a major factor as to who contracts pertussis. Those who do not receive the tDap or Dtap will be more likely to get the disease since their body has not built up any resistance towars it.