Whooping cough, also called pertussis or “the 100 day cough”, is a very contagious respiratory illness.
Symptoms
It can take 5-10 days or longer for symptoms to appear after you are exposed to the bacteria that causes whooping cough.
Early symptoms of whooping cough can be like a cold. They may last 1-2 weeks.
Babies and young children may not cough but may have a hard time breathing. They may:
Have dangerous pauses in their breathing, called apnea
Turn blue and die because they aren’t getting enough oxygen
After 1-2 weeks, whooping cough can cause very bad coughing fits. People in this state may:
Make a high-pitched "whoop" when they inhale after a coughing fit
Vomit during or after coughing fits
Feel very tired after the coughing fit
Have difficulty sleeping at night
Struggle to breathe
Fracture (break) a rib from coughing
Rupture blood vessels in the eyes, face, or brain from coughing
Vaccines
Whooping cough vaccines (given with diphtheria and tetanus as DTaP and Tdap) work well but the effectiveness can fade over time, so boosters are needed.
For people who've been vaccinated but still get whooping cough, their illness is generally milder.
Learn more about whooping cough vaccines from the CDC.
Treatment
Treating whooping cough early with antibiotics may make the infection less serious.
Early treatment can also help keep whooping cough from spreading to others.
Don't take cough medicine unless your healthcare provider recommends it. It probably won’t help and isn't usually recommended for children younger than 4 years old.
Sometimes treatment in a hospital is needed.
Learn more about whooping cough treatment on the CDC website.
Recovery
Recovery can be slow with the cough becoming milder and less common over time.
Coughing fits may stop for a while but can come back if you or your child get sick again.
Coughing fits can return many months after you or your child got sick.
Complications
Babies and children
Whooping cough can cause serious complications in babies and young children.
Babies and children who haven't had all recommended whooping cough vaccines are more likely to get serious complications.
About 1 in every 3 babies younger than 1 year old who get whooping cough need care in the hospital.
The younger the baby, the more likely they'll need hospital treatment. One in 100 (1%) will die from their complications.
Teens and adults
Teens and adults can also get complications, like pneumonia, from whooping cough.
Complications are usually less serious in this older age group, especially in those who have been vaccinated against whooping cough.
Visit the CDC’s Whooping Cough web page for more information.
It is also recommended that adults get either a Td or Tdap shot every 10 years.
