Are you having back pain with any of the following?
We understand that you are experiencing one or more of the health issues that might be impacting your back pain.
We recommend that you discuss these health issues with your doctor before proceeding with this program.
Once you are cleared by your doctor to do this program, we hope it helps you find relief from your back pain.
Whooping cough can be a serious or life-threatening illness in babies and older adults. Very young babies and teens are most likely to get whooping cough.
Bordetella pertussis is the main virus that causes whooping cough. Pertussis spreads quickly though coughing by people who carry the bacteria.
Strong coughing that lasts 4 to 14 weeks or longer is the main symptom. Whooping cough can cause other mild to serious symptoms, also.
Whooping cough outbreaks still occur in California. Vaccination helps prevent whooping cough or makes symptoms much milder.
Take these steps to protect yourself and your family:
Taking antibiotics within 3 weeks of infection can reduce a person’s whooping cough symptoms. Antibiotic treatment also helps prevent disease spread.
Whooping cough symptoms begin 7 to 21 days after a person is infected.
The illness occurs in 2 stages.
Stage 1:
Infected people are highly contagious during this stage. They are unlikely to know that they have whooping cough.
Stage 2 is when most cases are diagnosed. This stage can include:
Whooping cough can last 4 to 6 weeks in teens and adults, and 14 weeks or longer in young children or smokers.
Some patients feel nauseated or vomit after coughing (posttussive nausea or vomiting).
Children remain contagious during this stage.
Young babies and older adults are most vulnerable to complications from whooping cough.
In babies and unvaccinated toddlers, complications can include:
Older adults may fracture ribs during severe coughing fits.
Teens and adults who are otherwise healthy usually recover from whooping cough without problems.
Call us immediately:
If you or your baby or child has already been diagnosed with whooping cough, immediately call 911 and seek emergency medical help if any of these symptoms are occurring:
You or your baby or child may also need emergency care if you have ongoing vomiting or signs of dehydration, such as:
We usually use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which detects pertussis bacteria. We swab the back of your nose to get a sample for the test.
The PCR test:
For babies, we may use a complete blood count (CBC) test to check for whooping cough.
When a person’s test results are positive (pertussis infection is detected in his or her body), the person is treated with an antibiotic.
Family members and others who’ve been in close contact with a sick person may also be treated with an antibiotic.
Treatment can be lifesaving for a newborn baby and may keep family members from getting sick. It also helps prevent spreading the disease to others.
If there’s any possibility that you could give whooping cough to a baby or older adult, or another person who’s at higher risk, make sure you are fully vaccinated.
Getting vaccinated is especially important for:
Parents or caretakers (for example, grandparents) of babies who are:
Pregnant women. Each time you are pregnant, get a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine. This gives your unborn baby extra protection.
Keep in mind that:
Also, women who’ve just given birth and never had Tdap can get vaccinated before they go home from the hospital.
Young adolescents should receive Tdap at age 11. California state law requires teens to have Tdap before entering 7th grade.
Health care workers, particularly those who work with babies, children, or pregnant women, should be vaccinated.
Vaccination is the best protection against whooping cough. If you’ve already had whooping cough, you are not fully protected from getting it again.
Two types of vaccines can be given. The type you get depends on your age:
Children must have DTaP before entering school in California.
DTaP isn’t recommended for babies younger than 6 weeks because their immune response isn’t strong enough.
The usual ages for DTaP doses are:
Side effects may include 1 to 2 days of:
DTaP can cause high fevers or swelling in children over age 7 and should not be given.
Tdap is given as a single dose to adults and teens (age 11 and older). It’s also given to children over age 7 who weren’t fully vaccinated when they were younger.
Tdap contains less pertussis antigen than DTaP. Tdap is safe for teens and adults but provides less protection.
Remember, whooping cough can be serious or life-threatening for babies and older adults.
Treatment can help people who have or have been exposed to whooping cough.
By getting treatment, you or your child are less likely to be harmed by whooping cough. And, you help prevent the disease from spreading to others.
If you’ve been diagnosed with whooping cough:
If you’ve been exposed to whooping cough but don’t have an active infection:
U.S. law requires us to report all whooping cough cases to local Public Health Departments. This helps officials detect outbreaks and prevent future cases.
We usually treat whooping cough with an antibiotic medication.
If you think your child may have whooping cough, don’t use over-the-counter cough medicines (suppressants or expectorants). These medicines:
If complications develop, we’ll treat them as needed.
In babies, whooping cough can cause:
Often, the hospital is the safest place for babies with whooping cough to get care. We will monitor your child’s breathing and may need to:
If your child can’t eat or drink due to uncontrollable coughing, we may give intravenous (IV) fluids.
Don’t let your child go to school, or return to work yourself, until your doctor tells you it’s safe to do so.
Make sure you or your child:
Be sure to call us if the sick person:
Wash your hands frequently. Throw used tissues in a trash can and empty it often.
Moistening the air by using a humidifier may help the sick person feel better. No one should smoke near the sick person.
If you have an emergency medical condition, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. An emergency medical condition is any of the following: (1) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in serious jeopardy to your health or body functions or organs; (2) active labor when there isn't enough time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery, or if transfer poses a threat to your (or your unborn child's) health and safety, or (3) a mental disorder that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity such that either you are an immediate danger to yourself or others, or you are not immediately able to provide for, or use, food, shelter, or clothing, due to the mental disorder. This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of specific medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. If you have questions or need more information about your medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.