NEW DELHI: Chest infections are seeing a significant rise in north India due to a lesser-known bacterium that mimics whooping cough, a latest study has said.
The study, conducted by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, said that pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness.
Those suffering from pertussis get a serious hacking cough. Breathing in after coughing often causes a high-pitched noise that sounds like a "whoop."
It has historically been a major cause of childhood mortality, with fatality rates reaching 10 per cent in the early 20th century.
Published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal (of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US), the study said that the most significant increase was recorded in 2023, predominantly among children aged 5-10 years in northern India.
In Asia, pertussis continues to pose a significant public health burden, particularly in India and China, primarily affecting young infants and children.
After a brief decline during the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of cases has sharply rebounded.
India recently reported approximately 13.6 million cases, while China's incidence rose from 0.13 per 1,00,000 in 2013 to 2.15 per 1,00,000 in 2019, exceeding 58,990 reported cases by early 2024, the researchers said.
Researchers discovered that nearly 37 per cent of infections were caused by Bordetella holmesii (bacterium), surpassing the number of infections from Bordetella pertussis, which used to be relatively more common.
According to the data obtained under the ongoing surveillance programme at the PGIMER since 2015, the prevalence of B pertussis declined from 15-20 per cent to just 2-5 per cent, while infections from B holmesii rose markedly.
For the study, the researchers analysed 935 suspected pertussis cases.
This shift signals an evolving pattern in the etiology of pertussis-like respiratory illness in the region.
This long-term research was spearheaded by Dr Vikas Gautam's laboratory at PGIMER, in collaboration with Dr Prabhu Patil of the CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh, the institute said.
According to experts, once you become infected with whooping cough, it takes about 5 to 10 days for symptoms to start. Sometimes it takes up to three weeks. The symptoms often are mild at first - runny or stuffy nose, red, watery eyes, fever and cough - and may seem like those of a common cold. But after a week or two, the symptoms become worse. Thick mucus builds up inside the airways, which causes rapid coughing that can't be controlled. The cough can last for weeks or months, and it may be worse at night.