1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast 2 00:00:10,613 --> 00:00:11,733 Speaker 1: from News Talks. 3 00:00:11,453 --> 00:00:15,493 Speaker 2: At be Doctor Brian Betty is here this morning. Calder Brian, 4 00:00:16,093 --> 00:00:16,653 Speaker 2: Kira Jack. 5 00:00:16,773 --> 00:00:17,413 Speaker 3: Nice to be here. 6 00:00:17,533 --> 00:00:19,413 Speaker 2: Yeah, nice to be speaking with you. You know, it is 7 00:00:19,493 --> 00:00:22,253 Speaker 2: really concerning, isn't it. More than two hundred and sixty 8 00:00:22,293 --> 00:00:25,013 Speaker 2: cases of hooping cough have been diagnosed in the last 9 00:00:25,013 --> 00:00:27,973 Speaker 2: four weeks. The national epidemic has just been declared in 10 00:00:28,093 --> 00:00:30,533 Speaker 2: New Zealand, and hooping cough's really serious. 11 00:00:32,853 --> 00:00:36,813 Speaker 3: Look, it is really serious. It's this epidemic is a 12 00:00:36,853 --> 00:00:40,013 Speaker 3: real concern. Look, last year we didn't have a hooping 13 00:00:40,013 --> 00:00:43,413 Speaker 3: cough epidemic, yet three babies died in New Zealand from 14 00:00:43,453 --> 00:00:48,453 Speaker 3: hooping cough, so it is a very very serious disease. Now, look, 15 00:00:48,453 --> 00:00:52,773 Speaker 3: it's caused by bacteria called tussis, and this bacteria gets 16 00:00:52,813 --> 00:00:55,773 Speaker 3: into the lungs and the throat and it damages the 17 00:00:55,853 --> 00:00:58,493 Speaker 3: lining and the thing you start to has this cough 18 00:00:58,533 --> 00:01:01,293 Speaker 3: which can go on for weeks or months, and we 19 00:01:01,373 --> 00:01:04,653 Speaker 3: call that the one hundred day cough. Really really easy 20 00:01:04,693 --> 00:01:07,893 Speaker 3: to catch, so once it's in the community, it's very 21 00:01:07,973 --> 00:01:11,773 Speaker 3: very transmissible through coughing and sneezing, and one person with 22 00:01:11,853 --> 00:01:14,933 Speaker 3: hooping cough is quite likely to spread it to twelve 23 00:01:14,933 --> 00:01:19,573 Speaker 3: of other people. So very very infectious and a real concern, 24 00:01:19,973 --> 00:01:22,893 Speaker 3: especially for our babies less than one year of age. 25 00:01:22,773 --> 00:01:24,213 Speaker 2: Yeah, what are the signs? 26 00:01:24,893 --> 00:01:27,573 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it depends on your age. So look, the 27 00:01:27,813 --> 00:01:30,293 Speaker 3: basic rule of thumb is the younger the child, the 28 00:01:30,293 --> 00:01:33,533 Speaker 3: more at risk of becoming very unwell. But what we 29 00:01:33,613 --> 00:01:35,733 Speaker 3: see is it starts with a running nose and a 30 00:01:35,813 --> 00:01:38,653 Speaker 3: temperature and sneezing. So it's a lot colder of fluid 31 00:01:38,733 --> 00:01:41,693 Speaker 3: that can last for one to two weeks. But then 32 00:01:41,773 --> 00:01:46,013 Speaker 3: this cough develops. Now, this cough is incredibly irritating. You 33 00:01:46,053 --> 00:01:48,373 Speaker 3: can get this bounce of coughing that can go on 34 00:01:48,493 --> 00:01:52,093 Speaker 3: for two to three minutes, with this gasping for air 35 00:01:52,213 --> 00:01:54,653 Speaker 3: in between coughs, and we call it a hoop that 36 00:01:54,973 --> 00:01:58,373 Speaker 3: the kids sort of gasp for air, and it's very distinctive. Now, 37 00:01:58,413 --> 00:02:00,693 Speaker 3: this cough can last for minutes and it often ends 38 00:02:00,693 --> 00:02:02,653 Speaker 3: in a small vomit at the end of the cough 39 00:02:02,653 --> 00:02:06,373 Speaker 3: because the child is so distressed. Now, the older child 40 00:02:06,373 --> 00:02:09,493 Speaker 3: can get this hoop. But what's really really important to 41 00:02:09,613 --> 00:02:12,533 Speaker 3: note that in younger infants less than six months of age, 42 00:02:12,573 --> 00:02:15,293 Speaker 3: they don't get this typical hoop. They can get these 43 00:02:15,373 --> 00:02:18,293 Speaker 3: coughing spasms and what you can see is a child 44 00:02:18,333 --> 00:02:20,333 Speaker 3: goes a little blue or so I knows, because it 45 00:02:20,373 --> 00:02:23,653 Speaker 3: can't quite breathe. They're not able to feed, which becomes 46 00:02:23,653 --> 00:02:26,973 Speaker 3: a real difficult issue, and they get very very tired 47 00:02:27,093 --> 00:02:30,053 Speaker 3: or exhausted. So these young babies may actually need to 48 00:02:30,173 --> 00:02:32,933 Speaker 3: end up in the hospital so they can be fed 49 00:02:33,013 --> 00:02:35,813 Speaker 3: and get oxygen supper in patients. So look, I'm very 50 00:02:35,933 --> 00:02:39,293 Speaker 3: very difficult. Now. The thing about hooping coughers takes up 51 00:02:39,493 --> 00:02:42,573 Speaker 3: three months to get better, so it goes for a 52 00:02:42,653 --> 00:02:46,013 Speaker 3: long long time. And what's why we call it one 53 00:02:46,133 --> 00:02:50,613 Speaker 3: hundred day cough. It's got a particular name. So yeah, look, 54 00:02:50,973 --> 00:02:53,413 Speaker 3: real concern that we've got this epidemic in New Zealand. 55 00:02:53,573 --> 00:02:58,493 Speaker 2: And so obviously it's it's children and partially immanimi iminized 56 00:02:58,533 --> 00:03:00,453 Speaker 2: babies and stuff that are most at risk. 57 00:03:00,533 --> 00:03:03,493 Speaker 3: Right yeah, look, look that's exactly right. So if you 58 00:03:03,533 --> 00:03:06,693 Speaker 3: haven't had your full immunizations less than the age one 59 00:03:06,813 --> 00:03:09,853 Speaker 3: and that they happen at six weeks, three months, and 60 00:03:09,973 --> 00:03:14,053 Speaker 3: five months, you're underprotected, so that the child is at risk. 61 00:03:14,693 --> 00:03:17,773 Speaker 3: But the big big group we get really concerned about 62 00:03:17,933 --> 00:03:21,173 Speaker 3: is less than six weeks of age, because those children 63 00:03:21,253 --> 00:03:23,933 Speaker 3: haven't got to the point of having their first munization 64 00:03:24,653 --> 00:03:26,933 Speaker 3: and they are at one hundred percent risk of hooping 65 00:03:26,973 --> 00:03:30,253 Speaker 3: cough and it can be really, really, very very difficult 66 00:03:30,293 --> 00:03:34,013 Speaker 3: for our little Peppe or Timeruki in those situations. 67 00:03:34,333 --> 00:03:35,453 Speaker 2: How do you treat it? Brian? 68 00:03:36,613 --> 00:03:40,653 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, really good question. So a couple of things here. Look, 69 00:03:41,333 --> 00:03:44,053 Speaker 3: if you suspect it, we do a nasal swab to 70 00:03:44,093 --> 00:03:46,933 Speaker 3: try and diagnose it. And if it is diagnosed, we 71 00:03:46,973 --> 00:03:50,413 Speaker 3: can use antibiotics. Now, the earlier we use those in 72 00:03:50,453 --> 00:03:54,813 Speaker 3: the course of the disease, the better. It's an antibodic 73 00:03:54,853 --> 00:03:58,533 Speaker 3: called erythromisin. It's a very specific antibiotic. Now, the antibodic 74 00:03:58,613 --> 00:04:02,533 Speaker 3: may reduce the severity, but it won't necessarily clear up 75 00:04:02,533 --> 00:04:05,173 Speaker 3: the hooping cough. This is really important to understand. So 76 00:04:05,213 --> 00:04:06,933 Speaker 3: you can still have the cough, which can go on 77 00:04:07,013 --> 00:04:10,333 Speaker 3: for the one hundred days is called, but it reduces 78 00:04:10,373 --> 00:04:12,893 Speaker 3: the spread of the infection and that's what's really really 79 00:04:12,893 --> 00:04:16,493 Speaker 3: important about the antibiotics. Now, the thing about the cough, 80 00:04:16,573 --> 00:04:19,133 Speaker 3: and it's very specific, is once you get the cough, 81 00:04:19,333 --> 00:04:21,733 Speaker 3: there is no treatment. There is nothing we can give 82 00:04:21,773 --> 00:04:23,973 Speaker 3: you which will stop the cough. So that goes back 83 00:04:24,013 --> 00:04:27,373 Speaker 3: to our little babies that if they are having difficulty 84 00:04:27,413 --> 00:04:30,853 Speaker 3: breathing or feeding with the cough, we don't have a treatment, 85 00:04:31,493 --> 00:04:33,973 Speaker 3: and so that's why they probably may need to go 86 00:04:34,013 --> 00:04:36,893 Speaker 3: to hospital for oxygen treatment or to have what we 87 00:04:36,933 --> 00:04:40,293 Speaker 3: call nasy gastrict tubes put in to feed them. So yeah, 88 00:04:40,413 --> 00:04:43,053 Speaker 3: so the cough is not treatable, and that's the real, 89 00:04:43,213 --> 00:04:44,533 Speaker 3: real key thing about it. 90 00:04:44,693 --> 00:04:47,133 Speaker 2: How do you prevent it? And when should you see 91 00:04:47,173 --> 00:04:47,613 Speaker 2: the doctor? 92 00:04:48,413 --> 00:04:51,893 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, good questions. So look are we blunt about it? 93 00:04:51,973 --> 00:04:56,973 Speaker 3: Immunization is the only protection. So immunizing your children it's 94 00:04:57,053 --> 00:05:01,493 Speaker 3: six weeks, three months, and five months for hooping cough 95 00:05:01,693 --> 00:05:04,133 Speaker 3: is the only thing that will stop hooping cough causing 96 00:05:04,253 --> 00:05:07,813 Speaker 3: causing real real problems. Now for those babies less than 97 00:05:07,813 --> 00:05:10,853 Speaker 3: six weeks, we can't immunize because they're too young. So 98 00:05:11,173 --> 00:05:14,133 Speaker 3: this is really this is probably the key message. If 99 00:05:14,173 --> 00:05:17,053 Speaker 3: you are pregnant, if you're a pregnant mum, then the 100 00:05:17,093 --> 00:05:19,653 Speaker 3: way you protect your baby who's less than six weeks 101 00:05:19,693 --> 00:05:22,413 Speaker 3: of age is getting an immunization or a hooping cough 102 00:05:22,453 --> 00:05:26,773 Speaker 3: booster from sixteen weeks onwards in your pregnancy that will 103 00:05:26,813 --> 00:05:29,053 Speaker 3: give the baby protection and give them some sort of 104 00:05:29,093 --> 00:05:31,933 Speaker 3: protection against hooping cough and at the moment, with hooping 105 00:05:31,973 --> 00:05:35,893 Speaker 3: coughs sort of racing around the country, that's a really 106 00:05:36,013 --> 00:05:38,733 Speaker 3: really key important thing to do. So if you're pregnant, 107 00:05:38,773 --> 00:05:41,973 Speaker 3: please discuss it with your midwife, discuss it with your GP, 108 00:05:42,093 --> 00:05:45,773 Speaker 3: discuss it with your nurse about getting a hooping cough 109 00:05:45,813 --> 00:05:52,573 Speaker 3: facination at sixteen weeks. Look partially umanized kids are at risk. 110 00:05:52,613 --> 00:05:55,493 Speaker 3: We know that, but look a couple of basic things. 111 00:05:55,693 --> 00:05:59,493 Speaker 3: If your child is really coughing a lot, having difficulty breathing, 112 00:05:59,573 --> 00:06:02,293 Speaker 3: or looks on well, please see your doctor, but call 113 00:06:02,373 --> 00:06:05,733 Speaker 3: an ambulance. If your baby is coughing it goes blue, 114 00:06:06,013 --> 00:06:08,493 Speaker 3: or if you notice it stops breathing or anything like that, 115 00:06:08,773 --> 00:06:12,613 Speaker 3: make sure you call an let's get to a hospital. So, yeah, 116 00:06:12,813 --> 00:06:16,173 Speaker 3: look something we need to be very very cognizant of 117 00:06:16,413 --> 00:06:18,333 Speaker 3: and concerned about at this point. Yeah. 118 00:06:18,373 --> 00:06:21,173 Speaker 2: Absolutely, Hey, Brian, we really appreciate your help as ever, 119 00:06:21,653 --> 00:06:22,253 Speaker 2: Brian Betty. 120 00:06:22,373 --> 00:06:26,013 Speaker 1: There for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen 121 00:06:26,133 --> 00:06:28,973 Speaker 1: live to News Talks ed b from nine am Saturday, 122 00:06:29,173 --> 00:06:31,253 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.