Complications due to pertussis attack the respiratory system, central nervous system and death.
A child receives the DPT (Diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) vaccine at the community health centre. BETWEEN PHOTOS/Budi Candra Setya.
Jakarta – Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) says that pertussis or whooping cough in children can cause problems. These problems attack the respiratory system, the central nervous system, and others.
Pertussis is a disease caused by the bacterium Exotoxin B Pertussis. This disease is characterized by a severe cough followed by vomiting that lasts up to a hundred days.
“The lungs, which were well inflated before, could collapse because the lungs were affected,” said the Head of the Disease and Tropical Disease Coordination Operation Unit (UKK), Anggraini Alam, in online press conference, Friday (23/8) .
The doctor, known as Anggi, explained that problems in the respiratory system can also cause pneumonia, apnea and even emphysema. In children who suffer from tuberculosis (TB), pertussis can make their existing TB worse.
In addition, he said that the severe cough can cause bone fractures, intracranial bleeding, and even umbilical hernias. Severe coughing also makes children not want to eat and drink, which causes malnutrition and dehydration.
In the central nervous system, Anggi continued, the cough causes a lack of oxygen that triggers convulsions and brain damage.
“Death can happen,” said Anggi.
Based on data from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Anggi explained, the prevalence of pertussis reached 437 cases in 2022. This figure increased to 2,163 cases in 2023 and reached 1,017 cases in 2024. As many as 76% of pertussis victims get vaccinated.
Therefore, Anggi said, pertussis vaccination coverage must be increased to reduce the number of cases. This pertussis vaccine is included in the national immunization program, so the public can access it free of charge.
Based on the basic vaccination schedule of the Ministry of Health, pertussis vaccine is given when children are two months, three months, four months and 18 months old.
“We need vaccination according to age and we want the highest possible coverage,” said Anggi.
2024-08-24 02:59:51
#IDAI #warns #Pertussis #complications
