This cough/cold

Still knocked down. Not so much a cough now just general cold and post-viral long Covid back. Off the bike for three weeks and festive 50 not 500 more likely!

Covid negative though. So some positives

My Dad has been ill and has tested positive for 2 weeks, but seems generally to be managing. The question is, should we have them here for Christmas?

@molgrips. it's really quite unlikely that he will still be emitting viable virus; mind, the test is for antibodies, so no surprise that he's still testing positive.

I'm usually super cautious, as many will have probably noticed, but on this, at two full weeks, you should be fine.

So how long will I be infectious for, considering I first got symptoms 12 days ago?

Will be visiting my 80yr old mum so wouldn’t like to pass it on.

A rather disturbing twist on the ‘cough’

At Christmas Jnr FD started with a cough, which rapidly turned in to a cough and waking up unable to breath.Went to docs and treated as a chest infection with antibiotics and inhaler. Starts to ‘improve’ but cough starts to be followed by a whoop<br /><br />

Roughly 2 1/2 weeks ago Mrs FD starts with a slight cold, but starts getting a persistent cough, COVID negative, but getting worse, almost well in between horrific bouts of coughing. Rapidly turns to waking up every hour or so in the night with apnea. Doc tells to rest , she will be ok, gives antibiotics 

Isnt getting any better, can barely speak and eating food is difficult. so doc appointment via phone . He hears her cough and wants her to go to hospital straight away as he suspects whooping cough.

<br />Get to hospital put in a side room immediately. Doc comes and says yep whooping cough but there is no treatment. Eventually patients can end up being tube fed as the throat becomes too inflamed from coughing. All the docs / nurses who sees/hears her cough are shocked and would come running, but nothing they could do so better at home

Ive been put on antibiotics too, and was advised not to go near anyone until I had had 48hrs of antibiotics.

It’s been reported to public health England as it’s classed as an outbreak. It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Apparently it spreads very easily! <br /><br />

My son either got it at school or on a bus trip for a county football game so it must be out there in the community 

We’ve been told that it could be months before Mrs FD starts to feel normal again 🙁

I posted on it about halfway down P1

Very debilitating and definitely a thing, your childhood Vax on this one does wear off after about 40 years so you can get it (again)

My 19 yo daughter has had a bad persistent cough (worse at night), made her sick a few times, since before Christmas.
Seems well enough otherwise, still going to college, nights out and a physically demanding job at the weekends.
Was pressured by family to get a Drs appointment last week, she rang Thursday and Friday but phone just kept ringing.
We filled in an online form and she has got an appointment.......on the 2nd of Feb!

I posted on it about halfway down P1

People need to be aware of the symptoms and the fact that its highly contagious. Any contact should isolate and be on antibiotics regardless of whether they are ill or not.

advice may have changed in the 10 years since I had it, but that's not what we were instructed. I developed the cough at a conference, and if my contacts had to isolate that would have meant several hundred, all from the same company!! That was an interesting call with HR - they had to inform all to watch for symptoms, particularly if pregnant. For confidentiality of course they didn't say who'd had WC at the conference - but it wasn't hard to work out!  AFAIK, no-one caught it from me.....

My wife didn't have to take any other precautions, just watch out in case she started to develop symptoms (cold like and then a cough starts a few days after) at which point she would have had a/b given. She didn't get it either. Nor did the kids, although being 9 and 7ish they were well up-to-date with the vaccination, so would have been a major surprise.

Likewise different response with a/b - they can help but only if given early, but they don't really help you, just make you less infectious and less likely to pass on. By the time I'd been diagnosed (I diagnosed myself by google, when I went to the docs with it I had to 'force' them to look it up because their initial response was 'You've been vaccinated, so it can't be' - came as a surprise to them that the vax wore off) - and then as I was so far in they didn't give a/b to me either.

and yes, it is one of the UKHSA notifiable diseases (PHE don't exist any longer). I'm meeting them later this week, I'll ask off the record if there are increases (same as measles, maybe less vax uptake means more in kids where previously it was virtually eradicated which means more for parents and adults to be exposed to?)

Well done vax deniers - taking us back to the good old days you long for. What next - diptheria? Polio?