Whooping cough

Whooping cough is an illness that can spread easily. It's also called pertussis. An infection with bacteria causes it. Many people with the illness get a serious hacking cough. Breathing in after coughing often causes a high-pitched noise that sounds like a "whoop."

Before the vaccine for pertussis came out, whooping cough was thought of as a childhood disease. Today, whooping cough mainly affects children too young to have gotten all their shots of the vaccine. The illness also tends to affect teenagers and adults whose protection from the vaccine has faded.

Deaths linked with whooping cough are rare. Most often, they occur in infants. But pregnant people can help protect their babies by getting a booster shot of the vaccine during pregnancy. Vaccination also is recommended for other people who will have close contact with an infant.

Once you become infected with whooping cough, it takes about 5 to 10 days for symptoms to start. Sometimes it takes up to three weeks. The symptoms often are mild at first. They may seem like those of a common cold. They can include:

• Runny or stuffy nose.
• Red, watery eyes.
• Fever.
• Cough.

After a week or two, the symptoms become worse. Thick mucus builds up inside the airways. This causes rapid coughing that can't be controlled. The cough can last for weeks or months, and it may be worse at night. Intense coughing attacks may cause:

• Vomiting.
• A red or blue face.
• Extreme tiredness.
• A high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next breath of air.

People with mild illnesses often don't make the whooping sound. Sometimes, an ongoing hacking cough is the only symptom of whooping cough in teens and adults.

Many babies with the illness don't cough at all. Some babies and young children might.

• Gag or struggle to breathe.
• Have skin, lips or nails that turn blue or purple.
• Have life-threatening pauses in breathing called apnea.

Call your healthcare professional if ongoing coughing spells cause you or your child to:

• Vomit.
• Turn red, purple or blue.
• Breathe in with a whooping sound.
• Not drink enough fluid.

Call 911 or your local emergency number right away if you or your child seems to struggle to breathe. Also call for emergency care if you notice pauses in breathing.

A type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-filled droplets spray into the air. Anyone who happens to be nearby can breathe in the droplets. The bacteria that cause whooping cough also can spread when people are together for a long time. Or these germs can spread when people share breathing space, such as while holding a newborn on your chest.

The whooping cough vaccine you receive as a child wears off over time. This leaves many teenagers and adults prone to the infection during an outbreak. And regular outbreaks still happen.

Certain infants are most at risk for serious health problems and death from whooping cough. These include babies younger than 12 months old who are not vaccinated or haven't received all their vaccine doses.

Teens and adults often recover from whooping cough with no problems. When other health conditions happen, they tend to be side effects of intense coughing, such as:

• Bruised or cracked ribs.
• Tissue that bulges through a weak spot in the muscles of the stomach area, called an abdominal hernia.
• Broken blood vessels in the skin or the whites of the eyes.

Teens and adults also can have:

• Loss of bladder control.
• Weight loss.
• Fainting.

The best way to prevent whooping cough is with the pertussis vaccine. It's often given together with vaccines against two other serious diseases: diphtheria and tetanus. Healthcare professionals recommend starting vaccination during infancy.

The vaccine is a series of five shots. You might hear it called DTaP. It's most often given to children at these ages:

• 2 months.
• 4 months.
• 6 months.
• 15 to 18 months.
• 4 to 6 years.