Leah Androski
reporter@greenepublishing.com
Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways. This virus can cause repeated coughing bouts that could last for two to three months or more. In many people, it's marked by a 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 you are 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 your 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:
• Provoke vomiting
• Result in a red or blue face
• Cause extreme fatigue
• End with 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 the ages of: two months, four months, six months, 15 to 18 months and four to six years. Immunity from the pertussis vaccine tends to wane by age 11, and doctors recommend a booster shot at that age. Health experts recommend that pregnant women receive the pertussis vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
See your doctor when you 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.