Children make up 95.9% of all patients who suffer from this disease, while adults make up only 4.1%.
This information was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Health, reports URA-Inform.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine warns that since the beginning of 2024, the incidence of whooping cough has increased significantly in Ukraine. Last year, during this period of time, only 27 cases of infection were recorded, while this year — There are already 515 cases of infection.
The department notes that whooping cough — This is a disease that primarily affects children. Children make up 95.9% of all patients who suffer from this disease, while adults make up only 4.1%. The disease mainly affects children of preschool and primary school age. Doctors believe that the main reason why the incidence of whooping cough is increasing is a significant number of unvaccinated children.
Doctors warn that the disease is highly contagious and is most dangerous for infants, in whom it can cause temporary respiratory arrest. In addition, the disease can be severe in newborns and infants, with a high risk of complications and death. Older children and adults usually recover from whooping cough, but the disease is debilitating and greatly weakens the body.
The Ministry of Health noted that at first the disease is difficult to distinguish from a common acute respiratory viral infection, but after five to eight days, attacks of spasmodic cough begin, which have characteristic whistling and lacrimation. A cough may not appear in infants, but there is a risk of stopping breathing for a short time, which may be indicated by a blue face.
To prevent whooping cough, the Ministry of Health recommended that children receive four vaccinations: at the ages of 2, 4, 6 and 18 months. To protect a child from infection in the first months of life, pregnant women need to be vaccinated between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether they were vaccinated in childhood.
We recall that it was previously reported that the birth rate in Ukraine has fallen to its lowest level in the last 300 years.
