Primary Care Reports – May 1, 2011
May 1, 2011
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Whooping Cough: Management and Diagnosis of Pertussis
Pertussis, commonly known as the "whooping cough," is an infection of the upper respiratory tract leading to a protracted cough illness. Emergency physicians should become familiar with the diagnosis and management of this disease, given the potential of pertussis infections to cause serious morbidity and mortality in young infants. Furthermore, treating pertussis in a timely manner has a large public health impact given its extremely contagious nature.