What Is Whooping Cough ?
What Is Whooping Cough ?Whooping cough (pertussis) is a respiratory infection that causes violent coughing fits. The illness gets its name from the whooping sound made by a person gasping for air after coughing. People of any age can get pertussis, but it is especially serious in babies less than a year old and in older adults.
Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The illness spreads easily from person to person through sneezing and coughing. A vaccine that prevents pertussis has been widely available since the 1940s.
Before the pertussis vaccine, about 200,000 children in the United States got sick with pertussis each year, and some 9,000 of them died. Today there are about 10,000 to 40,000 cases yearly in the US. Some deaths still occur, mainly in infants younger than 2 months. In adults, whooping cough could present as a bad cough that persists longer than two weeks. The respiratory system includes the windpipe, the lungs, and all the other organs and tissues used for breathing.
Stages of Whooping Cough
StagesWhooping cough takes five to ten days to develop after a person comes into contact with the bacteria that cause it. This time before symptoms develop is called the incubation period. The illness then progresses in 3 stages.
The 3 stages of whooping cough are:
- Stage 1. Early symptoms of whooping cough are similar to a common cold and include a runny or stuffy nose, a low fever, and occasional coughing. Babies and young children may have pauses in their breathing (apnea), which can be life-threatening. Also, their skin may turn blue or purple from lack of oxygen (cyanosis). The catarrhal stage is another name for the first stage of pertussis.
- Stage 2. After one to two weeks of early symptoms, coughing becomes more severe and fits of rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing develop. Called paroxysms, they are followed by a high-pitched “whoop” as the person tries to inhale. People may vomit during severe coughing fits and feel exhausted after them. Coughing fits happen on average 15 times a day. This stage, also called the paroxysmal stage of pertussis, generally lasts one to six weeks but can persist longer.
- Stage 3. Also called the convalescent stage, stage three marks the gradual recovery from whooping cough. Over two to three weeks, coughing lessens and eventually goes away.
Signs & Symptoms of Whooping Cough
SymptomsWhooping cough is hard diagnose in its early stage because the symptoms mimic those of the common cold: runny nose, low fever, and mild cough.
Infants may have apnea—life-threatening pauses in breathing. This symptom needs immediate care from a pediatrician.
After about two weeks, additional symptoms develop, mainly in young children:
- A “whooping cough”—frequent fits of many rapid coughs, followed by a high-pitched gasp that produces a whooping sound
- Vomiting
- Exhaustion after coughing
- Blue-colored skin, especially around the mouth (cyanosis)
- Low fever
Signs of whooping cough can vary depending on age and severity of illness. People with mild illness, including older children, may not make the whooping sound after coughing.
Anyone with whooping cough symptoms should seek care from a pediatrician or primary care physician, who can prescribe antibiotics.
What Causes Whooping Cough?
CausesA type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough, which is also called pertussis. The bacteria spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The bacteria cause a person’s airways to swell, leading to trouble breathing. Whooping cough is a very contagious respiratory infection.
Complications
ComplicationsAnyone with whooping cough can develop complications. For babies under 12 months old serious and sometimes deadly complications can require care in a hospital. Vaccines can help protect infants and young children.
Those who do not receive the complete series of pertussis vaccinations are at high risk for the following complications of whooping cough:
- Apnea (pauses in breathing)
- Pneumonia (lung infection)
- Convulsions
- Encephalopathy (brain disease causing seizures)
Teenagers and adults may develop pneumonia as a complication of whooping cough. In addition, pertussis can cause:
- Passing out
- Broken rib
- Loss of bladder control
- Weight loss
Common Cold Prevention
PreventionVaccines are the most effective way to prevent whooping cough, which is highly contagious. Other measures also prevent sickness and the spread of this illness.
- Vaccines. Whooping cough vaccines are recommended for people of all ages. Two vaccines are available. Both of them also protect against tetanus and diphtheria. The DTaP vaccine is given in five doses to babies and young children between the ages of two months and six years. The Tdap vaccine is for older children, teenagers, pregnant women, and adults who have never been vaccinated.
- Preventive antibiotics. If you live with a person who has been diagnosed with whooping cough, and are at high risk for serious illness, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to prevent you from getting sick. Also, if you have been exposed to whooping cough and there is a pregnant woman or a baby in your household, you may get preventive antibiotics to protect both you and the vulnerable people you live with.
- Good hygiene. To prevent the spread of whooping cough: cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw it away; wash your hands often with soap and water; and avoid touching your face.
Whooping cough vaccine side effects
The whooping cough vaccine is considered very safe by the Centers for Disease Control.
Tell your health care provider if the person being vaccinated has any severe life-threatening allergies, or has had an allergic reaction to a previous whooping cough vaccine. Some people with these and other conditions should not get the DTaP or the Tdap vaccine.
You cannot get whooping cough, tetanus, or diphtheria from these vaccines.
Most people experience only mild side effects, if any, including:
Trust NewYork-Presbyterian for Whooping Cough Care
If you or your child has symptoms of whooping cough, or if you think you have been exposed to other respiratory infections, schedule an appointment at one of our medical groups or video visit* with a NewYork-Presbyterian primary care doctor. Talk to our highly trained pediatricians and primary care physicians to learn important information about treatment options.
We offer same-day appointments for critical needs, and easy scheduling, with early, late, and weekend hours.
*Restrictions apply