The Communicable Disease: Pertussis Essay -- Health, Diseases, Whoopin

The Communicable Disease: Pertussis Pertussis is a highly infectious disease. It is also known as whooping cough. For more than a decade, pertussis has become a significant public health problem. CDC reports that since the 1980s, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of pertussis in the United States (2011a). Worldwide, there are 30-50 million cases of pertussis and about 300,000 deaths per year (CDC, 2011a). Public Health Nurses play an important role in limiting the transmission during outbreaks by educating and ensuring appropriate treatments to the communities. Epidemiologic Triad Model Agent. The main biological pathogen that causes the Pertussis is Bordetella Pertussis. The agent is an aerobic gram-negative bacterium. Bordetella Pertussis attaches to and damages ciliated respiratory epithelium (Guinto-Ocampo, McNeil & Aronoff, 2010). The mechanism prevents cilia from capturing debris and interferes with the respiratory tract from clearing secretions. In addition to the adherence, Bordetella Pertussis releases toxin to stimulate the production of thick mucus which can obstruct the airway. Consequently, the body responds by coughing in order to clear the airway which releases the microorganism into the air. Host. Bordetella Pertussis affects only humans. No animal or insect source or vector is known to exist (CDC, 2011a). The mode of transmission is the respiratory route. The bacteria live in mouth, nose, and throat. An infected person spreads the disease to another person via airborne droplets of respiratory secretions. â€Å"Pertussis is especially contagious during the first week of illness but is easily transmitted during the period starting 7 days following exposure and for up to 3 we... ...evelop the symptoms suggesting the paroxysmal stage, the interventions are antibiotic and supportive treatments. San Diego Health Department can develop a standardized protocol for management of patients exposed to pertussis to all hospital settings (Haiduven, Hench, Simpkins & Stevens, 1998). According to the study, Barriers to Public Health Management, the results showed that there is often miscommunication among healthcare professionals since there was no clear and dependable ways to reach every health care worker (Wheeler, Tran, North, Beavers-May, Schutze & et. al., 2004). San Diego Health Department should send out a team of health department staff to be resources and collaborate with hospital staffs to ensure provision of adequate care. It is important to establish a clear communication between public health teams and local hospitals in the community.