Step 1 : Introduction to the question "1. In the routine immunization of infants, the pertussis vaccine is included. It is given at ages two four and six months, repeated at four to six years of age and repeated again at fourteen years of age. What is pertussis more commonly known as?"
...1. Whooping cough 2. Croup 3. Bronchitis 4. Pneumonia Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory illness that affects children and adults. The cause is a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. Children under the age of one are at the most risk of contracting this disease. Upon onset of Pertussis the symptoms include a runny nose and a low grade fever. There is a mild cough to begin with but it accelerates after approximately two weeks into violent rapidly repetitive coughing. The lungs become void of air causing the child to try to inhale making the signature "whooping" noise. Vomiting can be common after coughing and the cough can last for many weeks before it subsides.
