GlaxoSmithKline announced new vaccine against whooping cough

The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a booster shot that will prevent adolescents from contracting &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/hotspots/2003/01/06/41695.html ' target=_blank>whooping cough.

The vaccine, manufactured by &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2003/01/07/41703.html ' target=_blank>GlaxoSmithKline will be added to the present booster shot given against tetanus and diphtheria which children now receive between the ages of 10 and 18.

Whooping cough has been making a comeback of late. The disease is officially known as pertussis and is caused by a bacterial infection. Patients suffering from whooping cough often cough so hard they may break a rib. The name comes from the sound patients make when they are stricken with the disease and are gasping for air after coughing 15-20 times in a row.

A vaccine is given to all children in the United States against whooping cough but a rise in the number of cases contracted by adolescents shows that the childhood vaccine wears off. The new booster shot should address that problem, informs Elitest Tv.

According to Reuters, whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection marked by severe coughing spells and a "whoop" sound when patients inhale. The disease can kill young children.

Vaccines to provide immunity against whooping cough are routinely given to children, but experts believe immunity wanes by adolescence. While whooping cough can kill infants and children, the disease is milder in adults and teenagers. The cough can last for months in older patients, but it does not always produce the characteristic whooping sound.