Whooping cough: the 'mysterious' disease that made Kogi children sick, according to the INS

The National Institute of Health of Colombia (INS) came to a conclusion about the alleged mysterious virus in the Kogui ethnic Taminaka reservation that, according to indigenous leaders, has killed dozens of children and has 17 others hospitalized.

The children of the community — who are cared for by the indigenous Gonawindua IPS, two days away from the municipality of Palomino (La Guajira) — were examined to determine the pathology that caused symptoms such as diarrhea, cough, dry mouth, lack of appetite and vomiting.

The PCR samples were sent to the INS National Reference Laboratory, where they were analyzed and it was found that no virus is involved in the disease of these children. In fact, it is the bacterium bordetella pertussis, responsible for whooping cough.

In hot and humid climates, the bacterium bordetella pertussis proliferates, travels through the air and enters the respiratory tract of people. When it settles in the trachea and bronchi, the infection causes a heavy and prolonged cough, noise when breathing and choking, in addition to other symptoms typical of a common cold. Sometimes the cough is so heavy that it causes retching and vomiting.

Although anyone can get whooping cough, children under the age of five are especially vulnerable to developing complications in the nervous system or sequelae on the respiratory system. With a more robust immune system, like that of adults, the chance of recovering without complications is much higher.

However, no child in Colombia should suffer from whooping cough: vaccines against bordetella pertussis have been around for 80 years and are part of the basic national vaccination scheme. To prevent pertussis, the DPT vaccine is used, which also prevents diphtheria and tetanus.

The DPT vaccine is given to children in five doses: at two, four and six months, at a year and a half, and at age five. In addition, children can receive it in the same session with other vaccines for serious illnesses, such as polio and hepatitis B. Pregnant women also receive TdAP, a vaccine that protects against the same three diseases.

In addition to the fact that the health center is too far from the Taminaka community, the Colombian Government had already reported that there were casualties in basic childhood vaccination due to quarantine periods.

In any case, children affected by the bacteria had not been vaccinated: they had no vaccination reports in the system and their attendants accepted that they had not been inoculated.

In its statement, the INS regretted the situation faced by minors. It also calls on indigenous communities and Benefit Management Companies (EAPB) to ensure the vaccination of this population to prevent these outbreaks from recurring.

Meanwhile, it became known that the IPS will be able to enter the shelter between Wednesday, March 23 and April 2, to continue dealing with minor cases and take action on the situation, since natural medicine and prayers had no effect against the ferocious bacteria, which leaves about 61,000 dead in the world every year.

Of the 17 children who are hospitalized, five are in intensive care units and 12 also have acute malnutrition. Everyone is receiving antibiotic treatment and are recovering successfully.

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