Final answer:
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is transmitted through airborne droplets and is best treated with antibiotics like erythromycin or tetracycline at the earliest stages. Vaccination with DTaP or Tdap is the most effective preventive measure, but declining vaccination rates have led to a reemergence of the disease. A community health education program should focus on the importance of vaccination and early treatment strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The bacterium Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, which is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Pertussis is transmitted through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The disease is generally self-limiting, and antibiotic therapy, typically with erythromycin or tetracycline, is most effective in the earliest stages of the infection. Prophylactic antibiotic administration to uninfected individuals can also reduce transmission rates. However, active vaccination is the best approach to controlling pertussis. The DPT vaccine, which contained killed whole-cell B. pertussis preparations, has now been replaced by the acellular pertussis vaccines, DTaP and Tdap, due to concerns about adverse effects. The acellular vaccines contain pertussis toxoid and are considered safer and equally effective.
Laboratory diagnosis during the first two weeks of infection can be achieved by culturing nasopharyngeal specimens on Bordet-Gengou medium. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, pertussis has been reemerging as a concern in public health due to declining vaccination rates and an increasing population of susceptible children. Therefore, education on pertussis vaccination remains a critical component of community health initiatives.