The story of Veronika from Rivne, who contracted whooping cough at the age of 2 months

Little Veronika from Rivne fell ill with whooping cough even before she received her first vaccination against the disease – at the age of two months.

She had coughing fits several times a day, which were accompanied by respiratory arrest. And then the child lived with the consequences of the disease for another six months.

The story of Veronika’s struggle for life told in the Rivne Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whooping cough – a bacterial infectious disease characterized by convulsive attacks of coughing. They are dangerous because they can lead to respiratory arrest and lack of oxygen in the brain.

Whooping cough is especially dangerous for babies, so the first vaccination against this disease is given at the age of two months.

According to Natalia’s mother Veronika, in the first days the disease was very similar to ordinary SARS. The child had a runny nose and “coughed” a little. The temperature was not high: at first it was kept at the level of 37.3-37.5℃, and later it decreased to 36.7-36.8℃.

Therefore, at first, doctors diagnosed Veronika with ARVI. However, later the cough worsened – it became dry and very strong.

Then the girl was given a new diagnosis – bronchitis. But antibiotics did not help. Natalia and Veronika had to return to the hospital again.

The doctor, who replaced the family doctor at the time, came to the conclusion that the baby did not have bronchitis at all. She prescribed suspensions to stop the spasm of coughing and said to come back soon for another examination.

Within a day, the child was in the hospital again.

“It became increasingly difficult for Veronika to clear her throat, she was red, had tears and snot. This is a terrible cough.

As far as I remember, it was the 10th day of illness – and then the doctor told us that it was whooping cough, although she did not confirm the diagnosis. She also added that if it gets worse, she will have to go to a hospital.” – says Natalia.

That night, the child began to cough until he stopped breathing.

“Before my eyes, the child started turning blue and suffocating – around three o’clock in the morning. I ran outside with her, it was autumn – almost a year ago.

She seemed to clear her throat, started breathing again, and my husband and I immediately packed our things and went to the hospital. When we arrived, the child did not cough, the throat was not red, and there was no fever.” – the woman recalls.

Then the doctors did not even immediately understand why the girl was brought to them. After Natalya’s explanations, she and her daughter were admitted to the pulmonology department. Later, an accurate diagnosis was established – whooping cough.

At that time, Veronika did not have vaccinations against this disease. They wanted to vaccinate the child at two months, but by then she was already coughing, so the doctor decided to postpone the vaccination.

When Veronika began to suffocate, she was transferred to the intensive care unit and prescribed antibiotics. Natalia and her daughter were alone in the ward. They spent 2 weeks there.

“Doctors’ forecasts for Veronika were disappointing – it was during that period that a baby died in the hospital from whooping cough. Day and night there were attacks with respiratory arrests. Veronika could not cope with the mucus that was leaving, so she was suctioned.

In the first days, attacks occurred 7-8 times a night, and then 2-3. Even after discharge from the hospital, the child continued to cough for half a year.” – says the woman.

Soon it turned out that the whole family fell ill with whooping cough, including Natalia’s older children – at that time, 11-year-old son Andriy and one-year-old daughter Bohdan.

“In general, probably everyone got infected with whooping cough. Later I realized that my son was the first to get sick, and he brought it into the house. I did not know that it was whooping cough, because he is vaccinated, and it also coincided with seasonal allergies. My son had temperature 37℃, slight cough, slight runny nose.

Then, I think, I got sick – I also had a runny nose and cough. Bohdana’s illness was mild, similar to SARS. In 5 days, everything passed, only the nose was washed. By the way, the man was revaccinated against whooping cough six months before, so we didn’t understand whether he was sick or not.” says the woman.

For half a year, the family lived in isolation so that Veronika would not catch ARVI and other infections. After all, doctors have warned: in unvaccinated children who have contracted whooping cough, the cough may return

“People, when they saw Veronica coughing, even turned around on the street, were scared, although it was not as strong a cough as in the beginning,” – recalls Natalia.

After four months, the girl’s cough became less, and the attacks became less frequent. At 6 and 7 months, she was vaccinated against whooping cough.

“I want to say that parents should not play with their health: neither their children nor their own. I would not wish what we went through on anyone.” – emphasized Natalia.

We used to toldwhich vaccinations should be given to the immediate environment of the baby.