Infection rampant

Infant’s head vessel bursts during coughing fit

Three children with whooping cough were in intensive care at Kepler University Hospital.

(Bild: Einöder Horst)

Three children with whooping cough were in mortal danger at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz. "The increase is dramatic," warns senior physician Ariane Biebl about the growing number of cases. Last year, 1586 infections were reported in Upper Austria, compared to 76 in 1990. The causes of the increase and how it can be stopped.

One infant had such a violent coughing fit that one of his hereditarily weakened blood vessels in his head burst. Another child had to have his blood replaced twice because his white blood cell count had risen dangerously. A total of three children - two infants aged between zero and two months and a child just under two years old - were reportedly in mortal danger at Kepler University Hospital with a whooping cough infection.

The good news: "All three were able to leave the intensive care unit," senior physician Ariane Biebl tells the "Krone" newspaper, giving a cautious all-clear. "One child is already at home, one is waiting for rehab and one is still in the normal ward."

Senior physician Ariane Biebl also advises expectant mothers in the last trimester of pregnancy to get vaccinated.

(Bild: Kepler Uniklinikum)

Whooping cough cases exploded
Even if the three children are out of danger, the whooping cough situation is not reassuring, as the number of cases has exploded in recent years: in 1990, 76 whooping cough infections were registered in Upper Austria, in 2019 it was 414, and in the previous year it was already 1586. "The increase is dramatic," says Biebl.

The senior physician cites the "insufficient vaccination rate" and the coronavirus pandemic, which has meant that many adults have not been naturally immunized against whooping cough, as the reasons for this. These parents, grandparents and older siblings are now increasingly infecting young children.

Vaccination during pregnancy
Whooping cough, which is transmitted by droplets, is particularly dangerous for infants: "In them, the disease manifests itself through pauses in breathing," explains Biebl. The highly contagious infection can be recognized, for example, by the fact that babies drink less well or become more silent.

The only preventative measure is vaccination, says Biebl, who advises adults to check their vaccination status. A booster is necessary every ten years. Expectant mothers can give their children nest protection by being vaccinated in the last trimester of pregnancy.