The communicable disease: whooping cough Whooping cough is a highly infectious disease. It is also known as whooping cough. For more than a decade, whooping cough has become a serious public health problem. The CDC reports that there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of whooping cough in the United States since the 1980s (2011a). Worldwide, there are 30-50 million cases of whooping cough and approximately 300,000 deaths per year (CDC, 2011a). Public health nurses play an important role in limiting transmission during epidemics by educating and ensuring appropriate treatment in communities. Model agent of the epidemiological triad. The main biological pathogen causing whooping cough is Bordetella Pertussis. The agent is a gram-negative aerobic bacterium. Bordetella Pertussis attaches to and damages the ciliated respiratory epithelium (Guinto-Ocampo, McNeil & Aronoff, 2010). The mechanism prevents the cilia from capturing debris and prevents the respiratory tract from clearing secretions. In addition to adhesion, Bordetella Pertussis releases toxins to stimulate the production of thick mucus that can block the airways. As a result, the body responds by coughing to clear the airways which releases the microorganism into the air.Guest. Bordetella Pertussis only affects humans. No animal or insect source or vector is known to exist (CDC, 2011a). The mode of transmission is the respiratory route. The bacteria live in the mouth, nose and throat. An infected person transmits the disease to another person through airborne droplets of respiratory secretions. “Whooping cough is particularly contagious during the first week of illness but is easily transmitted in the period starting from 7 days after exposure and up to 3 we...... half of the sheet ......develop symptoms that suggest the paroxysmal phase disease, interventions are antibiotics and supportive treatments. The San Diego Health Department can develop a standardized protocol for the management of patients exposed to whooping cough in all hospital settings (Haiduven, Hench, Simpkins & Stevens, 1998). According to the Barriers to Public Health Management study, the results showed that there are often communication problems between healthcare providers as there were no clear and reliable ways to reach every healthcare provider (Wheeler, Tran, North, Beavers-May, Schutze & et .al., 2004). The San Diego Health Department should send a team of health department personnel to serve as a resource and work with hospital staff to ensure adequate care is provided. It is important to establish clear communication between public health teams and local community hospitals.