MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — It is colloquially known as whooping cough, but doctors know it as pertussis. Confirmed cases of the disease have been reported at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, so doctors are urging Alabamians to stay aware.
“As a physician myself, I always say if you’ve heard the sound, you’ll never forget it,” said Dr. Karen Landers, chief medical officer at the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The whooping cough starts out as cold-type symptoms with a low-grade fever. Landers said it’s most common in children.
“It is, again, a very, very persistent, very annoying-type cough,” Landers said. “A whooping-type cough that we see in infants and young children can cause children to lose their breath. It is just a really, really severe cough.”
Dr. Colleen Tobe-Donohue, primary care physician and chief medical officer at UAB St. Vincent’s, said adults should be aware of the disease, too.
“Not just our young kids who have those nice small airways. [That’s] why we get to concerned about whooping cough for young people and babies,” Tobe-Donohue said. “But also for that older population that maybe has some other health issues that could interfere with it.”
Tobe-Donohue urged Alabamians to protect themselves by staying up to date on their vaccinations. She said doctors are always there to help if you do get sick.
“Let us help you figure this out,” Tobe-Donohue said. “Because it may be pertussis, but it may be something else. You may have some form of bacterial infection or viral infection that is also contagious but managed in a different way. So I really encourage you to contact your provider.”
Landers said staying healthy and vaccinated isn’t just good for you.
“Your grandparents will thank you if you don’t bring your respiratory virus to them,” Landers said. “Your grandchildren will thank you. Also, the same thing if your grandchildren or sick or the children you’re around are sick. Don’t take them to other places.”
Landers said people don’t like to hear it, but basic preventative measures like washing your hands and staying at home when you’re sick are critical.
