2023-06-18 17:53:00
Published on: 18.6.23 18:53
By: David Levy
Last Wednesday night, a four-month-old baby was admitted to Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital suffering from whooping cough. This information was transferred to the hospital from the health fund where the baby underwent the tests that proved the presence of the disease.
As the disease worsened and in particular breathing difficulties manifested in respiratory distress and coughing to the point of yellowing (decreased oxygen in the blood) it was decided to take him to the hospital.
Upon his admission to the hospital, he was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit headed by Dr. Naa Rosenfeld, where he was treated with antibiotics and non-invasive ventilation.
In the last few days, there has been an improvement in the baby’s respiratory distress, but he still suffers from a very severe cough and continues to be a patient in the intensive care department of the hospital.
The hospital would like to point out that an early vaccination of the mother during pregnancy for whooping cough would have prevented the current situation. “The pertussis vaccines are extremely important and life-saving vaccines,” says Dr. Naa Rosenfeld, director of pediatric intensive care and the attending physician, “the younger the baby, the higher the chances of death and the severe damage to the brain and heart is irreversible. I urge all parents not to take a risk and get all the required vaccinations before and after the birth.”
Dr. Maya Khaled-Akiva. Photo: Assuta Ashdod Spokesperson
Dr. Maya Khaled-Akiva, a specialist in infectious diseases in children at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital: “Whooping cough is a disease caused by a bacterium and can be prevented by routine vaccinations and immunizations of the mother during pregnancy. The pertussis bacterium attacks the respiratory system and causes children and adults to have persistent coughing fits long weeks and even several months. In newborns and infants it can cause a very serious illness and even death. 1 out of 5 babies with whooping cough under two months old will be hospitalized and 1 out of 100 babies under two months old with whooping cough will die from the complications of the disease. The antibiotic treatment given at the diagnosis stage does not matter significantly affects the course of the disease, therefore the importance of vaccination and prevention of the disease is high.”
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