Joel Hendon

Dreaded Whooping Cough Strikes Again


Posted: Wednesday, December 05, 2007

by
http://hebronics.org/index.html



 I think I was about nine years old, the year of the Whooping cough in Gnatville, USA. Of course, that was not the only time it was around but it was the worst epidemic that I had seen, or have seen since in our area. I'm not sure, but it seems as if everyone had it that year. I know that I did and I began to wonder if it wasn't going to kill me. School continued to function and people came while whooping their heads off, I guess it was because everyone had it already and there was no further danger of spreading it. We even had some kind of a play or spelling bee or something I know that some parents came to. One mother was there with a small baby who was whooping like a grown up. Good Grief!

Lots of people don't even know much about the stuff, but it is a horrible phenomenon which can just about get the best of you. There is actually a recording of a young girl coughing with whooping, although I have heard worse. It sounds pretty bad, but if you want to hear it Click Here. Not all who have this "Bordetella pertussis" infection actually whoop with their coughing. In fact, only about half is estimated to have the whooping which is nothing more than a long gasp of inhaling after expelling air with the cough. And the severity of the cough and whooping varies a lot. Actually, I had a lighter case of the mess than some kids did. I've watched some of them bent over coughing and gasping desperately for breath.

Currently, there is a heavy outbreak at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S. C. forcing them to end the semester a few days early and to cancel a number of public events. They have known or suspected cases of close to 100. This infection usually lasts at least three weeks and sometimes much longer, even a month or so, starting with a slight fever and feeling bad. Here is a paragraph taken from ( www.whoopingcough.net/ Symptoms and Sounds)

Major Symptoms (usually from 2 weeks onwards). Attacks of a choking cough that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes, often with vomiting, severe facial congestions and a feeling or appearance of suffocation. Between these attacks of coughing the sufferer appears and usually feels perfectly well. These choking attacks of coughing happen as little as twice a day or as many as fifty. Between attacks ('paroxysms' is the technical name) the sufferer may not cough at all. 'Whooping' is a noise that comes from the voice box after a paroxysm when the sufferer is suddenly able to take a breath in again.

Apparently, it is not a very deadly disease although I am sure that one can probably take pneumonia as a result of it if precautions are not taken. If it comes to our area, I plan to shy away from it as I would an angry rattlesnake. For complete information, go to the website WhoopingCough.net

Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He has an extensive website of conservative religious and political articles.http://hebronics.org/index.html

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by straight talk
 4 years 47 days ago.
111 fans. Follow straight talk on twitter!
Is anyone concerned about disease, an article I posted a short while ago. It drew little attention.Yet, those little signs and symbols keep popping up all over. Strange, people prefer to ignore the truth. Best Wishes, RTM
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