Croup

Please let me clarify... he has Croup. I assumed Whooping Cough and Croup where the same, but I guess I was wrong.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Vincenzo has been diagnosed with Croup... not Whooping Cough.

Just to clarify, here are the differences:

Croup and whooping cough are both infections that are common in children and it is a common misconception in most people that both are the same. Many people use both the terms interchangeably but it's worth noting that they are indeed different.

Croup is due to a viral infection that results in the inflammation of the windpipe tissue. The narrowing of the windpipe results in a tight and barky sound to the cough. Since it is viral infection there isn't any proper vaccination against it.

Whooping cough on the other hand is a bacterial infection caused by the Pertussis bacteria. Whooping is characterized by continuous coughing till the lungs are emptied and then inhalation with a 'whoop' sound or gasp. This is where the primary difference can be noticed between the two: the sound. Croup is hoarse seal-like bark whereas whooping cough has a high pitched gasping sound.

Plus most kids show mild symptoms of croup. Whooping is much worse, and very painful. Very severe croup can sound like that, but it's rare.

Croup is not as dangerous as whooping, which can and has killed many little innocents.