Thank you, Walgreens for sponsoring today’s post about whooping cough vaccine. All opinions are our own, but we think you’ll agree it’s an important subject that should be brought up more, especially for adults who are or will be around infants.
Facts About Whooping Cough Adults Should Know
Here are a few things all adults should know about whooping cough.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough also known as Pertussis is a highly communicable disease that infects your lungs and can cause violent and uncontrollable coughing that can make it difficult to breathe. Those suffering from whooping cough often take deep breaths that result in a whooping sound.
Symptoms of whooping cough
In the early stages of whooping cough symptoms may be similar to the common cold and one may not know they have been infected yet– low-grade fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing that can last for 2-3 weeks.
Transmition of whooping cough
Are you currently aware how whooping cough is transmitted? Want to hear something scary?
Whooping cough can be transmitted in the early stages of the infection, and a person is only showing cold-like symptoms. It’s scary to think a person who is infected with whooping cough may not know. Therefore, they are not taking the proper precautions to avoid infecting others.
Whooping cough is transmitted from person to person by contact with respiratory droplets that can come from sneezing and coughing. Yes, whooping cough can be easily spread to those around you. It might be scary for parents to think about, but their infant child is at greatest risk from whopping cough.
Families Can Spread It
Babies who catch whooping cough often get the disease from people who are close to them.
When you think about everyone around your child, it’s important you consider everyone, not just those living in the household. Most babies get infected with a whooping cough by those around them, including grandparents.
Risk for infants
Infants are at greatest risk from whooping cough, which could result in serious complication or even death during their first six months of life.
About half of babies under the age of 1 who have been infected with whooping cough need to be hospitalized.
Protect baby from the start
Pregnant women and everyone around baby should get their vaccine for whooping cough. It’s recommended for pregnant women to get their whopping cough vaccination during their 3rd trimester to pass on the protection to their baby.
Receiving the Whooping cough vaccine
Don’t let the stress of sitting in the doctor’s office waiting room for an hour keep you from getting any immunizations, especially because you have other options like Walgreens.
The next time you stop by Walgreens for milk or to pick up a prescription you can get information about immunizations, even your whooping cough vaccine as long as it’s during the pharmacy hours. You don’t even need an appointment to get your immunizations, and you can keep up with your family’s immunizations using the handy-dandy Walgreens app.
I love the Walgreens app, I can add digital coupons to my account or manage my families prescriptions, get refill reminders, personalized recommendations, information about immunizations, and more. Just by downloading the app Walgreens can make it easy for you to know if anyone in your family is due for an immunization and which one.
My daughter and I visit our local Walgreens several times a week; it’s close to our house, has everything we need, and an awesome staff. Honestly, the staff is one of our favorite parts. They know my daughter by name, and she gets so excited to visit.
As a matter of fact, my daughter and I visited our local Walgreens last week to ask about the whooping cough shot and learn a little more about the Get a Shot. Give a Shot.® campaign.
If you’re not up to date with your immunizations, go to your local Walgreens and get everything up to date. You could help save lives because every immunization at Walgreens means Walgreens will provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need around the world. Yes, your whooping cough vaccine could help save a life.
Walgreens and the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign can help provide life-saving vaccines to children in need. I don’t know about you, but I’m talking to my loved ones about immunizations at Walgreens.
Donation currently valid for non-flu vaccinations. Aggregate donation of up to $1 million. Vaccines subject to availability. State-, age- and health-related restrictions may apply.
When is the last time you talked to your doctor or Walgreens pharmacist about your pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine?
