Which disease features a severe and prolonged cough, fever, and watery eyes?

Which disease features a severe and prolonged cough, fever, and watery eyes?

• A. Pertussis (whooping cough)
• B. Measles
• C. Diphtheria
• D. Mumps

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing a disease by a distinctive pattern of symptoms. A severe, prolonged cough that lasts for weeks, especially in a child, is the hallmark of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This illness often comes with fever and irritation that can include watery eyes, but the standout feature is the repeated, intense coughing spells (paroxysms) that can be hard to shake and may be followed by a whoop sound when the person breathes in. That combination—long, severe coughing with possible fever and eye irritation—is much more typical of pertussis than the other diseases listed. Measles can start with fever, cough, and conjunctivitis, but it also features a characteristic rash that appears after several days, which helps distinguish it. Diphtheria involves a sore throat and fever along with a thick membrane in the throat, not the prolonged coughing pattern. Mumps centers on swelling of the salivary glands and fever, with cough not being the defining symptom. So the most fitting choice is pertussis because its defining clue is the severe, extended coughing spells that persist over weeks, rather than the other diseases’ hallmark signs.

The main idea here is recognizing a disease by a distinctive pattern of symptoms. A severe, prolonged cough that lasts for weeks, especially in a child, is the hallmark of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This illness often comes with fever and irritation that can include watery eyes, but the standout feature is the repeated, intense coughing spells (paroxysms) that can be hard to shake and may be followed by a whoop sound when the person breathes in. That combination—long, severe coughing with possible fever and eye irritation—is much more typical of pertussis than the other diseases listed.

Measles can start with fever, cough, and conjunctivitis, but it also features a characteristic rash that appears after several days, which helps distinguish it. Diphtheria involves a sore throat and fever along with a thick membrane in the throat, not the prolonged coughing pattern. Mumps centers on swelling of the salivary glands and fever, with cough not being the defining symptom.

So the most fitting choice is pertussis because its defining clue is the severe, extended coughing spells that persist over weeks, rather than the other diseases’ hallmark signs.