Abstract
Whooping cough, a localized bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract, is a disease characterized by the following symptoms: (1) a leukomoid reaction with lymphocytosis; (2) violent coughing spasms which may develop the characteristic "whoop"; and (3) occasionally, severe neurological reactions which may be either temporary or permanent. The cause of the paroxysmal coughing remains an enigma; however, it may be neurological in origin resulting from a long-lasting alteration in the hormonal or pharmacological response of the infected child (Pittman, 1970). | The decline in incidence of whooping cough (pertussis) coincides with the general use of a vaccine first introduced in the 19to's. Even with mass vaccination, the mortality rate has decreased more rapidly than morbidity, and each year several thousand individuals in the United States, mostly infants and small children, are infected (Brooks and Buchanan, 1970). In 1968, there were 4810 cases reported in the United States. All but three states reported at least one case of pertussis and eight states reported an incidence of greater than five cases per 100,000 population (Brooks and Buchanan, 1970). While these figures reflect a dramatic decrease from the more than 265,269 cases reported in 1934, the year in which occurred the highest incidence of the disease (Brooks and Buchanan, 1970), the current data confirms the fact that the threat of pertussis is not solely confined to the past.