Know the signs of whooping cough

Leah Androski
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways. This can cause repeated coughing bouts that could last for two to three months or more. In many people, it's marked by severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop.”
Whooping cough is known to make babies and young children very ill. Whooping cough is spread through the droplets of the coughs or sneezes of someone with the infection. Before the vaccine was developed, whooping cough was considered a childhood disease. Deaths associated with whooping cough are rare but mostly occur in infants.
Once a person is infected with whooping cough, it takes around ten days for signs and symptoms to appear. The symptoms are mild at first and resemble the symptoms of a cold. After a week or two, signs and symptoms worsen. Thick mucus accumulates inside the airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. However, many people do not develop the characteristic whoop. Infants may not cough at all. Instead, they may struggle to breathe, or they may even temporarily stop breathing. Symptoms include:
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Red, watery eyes
- Fever
- Cough

Severe and prolonged coughing attacks may cause:
- vomiting
- red or blue face
- extreme fatigue
- a high-pitched “whoop” sound during the next breath of air

The best way to prevent whooping cough is with the vaccine. Doctors recommend beginning vaccination during infancy. The vaccine consists of a series of five injections, typically given to children at these ages: two months, four months, six months, 15 to 18 months; four to six years. Immunity from the pertussis vaccine tends to wane by age 11, doctors recommend a booster shot at that age. Health experts recommend that pregnant women receive the pertussis vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks pregnant.
See your doctor when your or your child's coughing fits cause you to vomit, turn red or blue, struggle to breath or have noticeable pauses in breathing, or inhale with a whooping sound.