Sound of baby with whooping cough

Whooping Cough (Pertussis) (for Parents)

Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It mainly affects babies younger than 6 months old who aren't yet protected by immunizations, and kids 11 to 18 years old whose immunity has started to fade.

Whooping cough causes severe coughing spells, which can sometimes end in a "whooping" sound when the child breathes in.

Signs & Symptoms

The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold:

runny nose
sneezing
mild cough
low-grade fever

After about 1 to 2 weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into coughing spells. During a coughing spell, which can last for more than a minute, a child may turn red or purple. At the end of a spell, the child may make the characteristic whooping sound when breathing in or may vomit. Between spells, the child usually feels well.

While many infants and younger kids with whooping cough develop the coughing fits and accompanying whoop, not all do. And sometimes babies don't cough or whoop as older kids do. Infants may look as if they're gasping for air with a reddened face and may actually stop breathing (this is called apnea) for a few seconds during very bad spells.

Adults and teens may have milder or different symptoms, such as a prolonged cough (rather than coughing spells) or coughing without the whoop.

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Contagiousness

Pertussis is highly contagious. The bacteria spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from an infected person's nose or mouth. These may become airborne when the person sneezes, coughs, or laughs. Others then can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses.

Infected people are most contagious during the earliest stages of the illness for up to about 2 weeks after the cough begins. Antibiotics shorten the period of contagiousness to 5 days following the start of antibiotic treatment.

Prevention

Whooping cough can be prevented with the pertussis vaccine, which is part of the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis) immunization.

DTaP immunizations are routinely given in five doses before a child's sixth birthday. For additional protection in case immunity fades, experts recommend that kids ages 11-18 get a booster shot of the new combination vaccine (called Tdap), ideally when they're 11 or 12 years old.

The Tdap vaccine is similar to DTaP but with lower concentrations of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid. It also should be given to adults who did not receive it as preteens or teens. The vaccine is also recommended for all pregnant women during the second half of each pregnancy, regardless of whether or not they had the vaccine before, or when it was last given.

Getting the vaccine is especially important for people who are in close contact with infants, because babies can develop severe and potentially life-threatening complications from whooping cough. An adult's immunity to whooping cough lessens over time, so getting vaccinated and protecting yourself against the infection also helps protect your infant or child from getting it.

As is the case with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. Your doctor will have the most current information.

People who live with or come into close contact with someone who has pertussis should receive antibiotics to prevent the spread of the disease, even if they've already been vaccinated against it. Young kids who have not received all five doses of the vaccine may need a booster dose if exposed to an infected family member.

Incubation

The incubation period (the time between infection and the start of symptoms) for whooping cough is usually 7 to 10 days, but can be as long as 21 days.

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Duration

Pertussis usually causes prolonged symptoms — 1 to 2 weeks of common cold symptoms, followed by up to 3 months of severe coughing.

The last stage consists of another few weeks of recovery with gradual clearing of symptoms. In some children, the recovery period can last for months.

Treatment

Call the doctor if you suspect that your child has whooping cough. To make a diagnosis, the doctor will take a medical history, do a thorough physical exam, and may take nose and throat mucus samples to be checked in a lab. Blood tests and a chest X-ray also might be done.

Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics. Many experts believe that antibiotics are most effective in shortening the length of the infection when they're given in the first stage of the illness, before coughing spells begin. But even if antibiotics are started later, they're still important because they can stop the spread of the pertussis infection to others. Ask your doctor whether preventive antibiotics or vaccine boosters for other family members are needed.

Some kids with whooping cough need to be treated in a hospital. Babies and younger children are more likely to be hospitalized because they're at greater risk for problems like pneumonia. Whooping cough can be life-threatening for infants younger than 6 months, so they almost always need hospital treatment.

Other potential complications include difficulty breathing, periods of apnea, needing oxygen (particularly during a coughing spell), and dehydration.

While in the hospital, a child may need suctioning to clear the airways. Breathing will be watched closely, and oxygen given if needed. Intravenous (IV) fluids might be needed if a child shows signs of dehydration or has difficulty eating. Precautions will be taken to prevent the infection from spreading to other patients, hospital staff, and visitors.

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Home Care

If your child is being treated for pertussis at home, follow the schedule for giving antibiotics exactly as your doctor prescribed. Giving cough medicine probably will not help, as even the strongest usually can't relieve the coughing spells of whooping cough. The cough is actually the body's way of trying to clear the airways. (Due to potential side effects, cough medicines are never recommended for children under age 6.)

During recovery, let your child rest in bed and use a cool-mist vaporizer to help soothe irritated lungs and breathing passages. (Be sure to follow directions for keeping it clean and mold-free.) And keep your home free of irritants that can trigger coughing spells, such as aerosol sprays; tobacco smoke; and smoke from cooking, fireplaces, and wood-burning stoves.

Kids with whooping cough may vomit or not eat or drink much because of the coughing. So offer smaller, more frequent meals and encourage your child to drink lots of fluids. Watch for signs of dehydration, including thirst, irritability, restlessness, lethargy, sunken eyes, a dry mouth and tongue, dry skin, crying without tears, and fewer trips to the bathroom to pee (or in infants, fewer wet diapers).

When to Call the Doctor

Call the doctor if you think that your child has whooping cough or has been exposed to someone with whooping cough, even if your child has already had all scheduled pertussis immunizations.

This is especially important if your child has long coughing spells and:

the coughing make your child's skin or lips turn red, purple, or blue
your child vomits after coughing
there's a whooping sound after the cough
your child has trouble breathing or seems to have brief periods of not breathing (apnea)
your child seems very sluggish

If your child has been diagnosed with whooping cough and is being treated at home, get immediate medical care if he or she develops difficulty breathing or shows signs of dehydration.

Whooping cough - NHS

Whooping cough (also called pertussis) is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily.

Check if you or your child has whooping cough

The first signs of whooping cough are like a cold.

After about a week, you or your child:

will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
will make a "whoop" sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not "whoop")
may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you sick (vomit)
may become very red in the face (more common in adults)

Urgent advice: See a GP urgently or call 111 if:

your baby is under 6 months old and has symptoms of whooping cough
you or your child have a very bad cough that is getting worse
you've been in contact with someone with whooping cough and you're pregnant
you or your child has been in contact with someone with whooping cough and have a weakened immune system

Whooping cough can spread very easily. It's best to call the GP before you go in. They might suggest talking over the phone.

Whooping cough can be dangerous

Babies under 6 months old have increased chances of problems including:

dehydration
breathing difficulties
pneumonia
fits (seizures)

Whooping cough is less severe in older children and adults but coughing may cause problems including:

nosebleeds
sore ribs
hernia

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

your child has periods of stopping breathing and their face or lips go blue (cyanosis)
you or your child are finding it hard to breathe properly (shallow breathing)
you or your child have chest pain that's worse when breathing or coughing – this could be a sign of pneumonia
your child is having fits (seizures)

Treatment for whooping cough

Treatment for whooping cough depends on your age and how long you've had the infection.

If your whooping cough is severe, or your baby is under 6 months old and has whooping cough, you'll usually need treatment in hospital.

If diagnosed within 3 weeks of the infection, you'll be given antibiotics to help stop it spreading to others. Antibiotics may not reduce symptoms.

If you've had whooping cough for more than 3 weeks, you're no longer contagious and do not need antibiotics.

Important

Keep taking the antibiotics until you've completed the course, even if you feel better.

Things you can do to relieve the symptoms of whooping cough

Don’t

do not give a child under 16 paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time – always check first with a GP or pharmacist
do not give aspirin to children under 16
do not take cough medicines – they're not suitable for young children and do not help with this type of cough

How long whooping cough is contagious

You're contagious from about 6 days after the start of cold-like symptoms to 3 weeks after the coughing starts.

If you start antibiotics within 3 weeks of starting to cough, it will reduce the time you're contagious for.

The whooping cough vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine protects babies and children from getting whooping cough. That's why it's important to have all the routine NHS vaccinations.

The whooping cough vaccine is routinely given as part of:

the 6-in-1 vaccine - for babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks
the 4-in-1 pre-school booster – for pre-school children

If you're pregnant you should also have the whooping cough vaccine – ideally between 16 and 32 weeks.

Read more about the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy.

Page last reviewed: 13 November 2019
Next review due: 13 November 2022

Whooping cough in children - all of a sudden out of nowhere

Whooping cough in children - all of a sudden, out of nowhere.

Whooping cough vaccines for children help control the infection.
Whooping cough is called a vaccine-preventable infection because its occurrence is related to how preventive vaccinations are administered. That is, if all children are vaccinated, then the probability of an outbreak of pertussis infection is practically zero. But when adults begin to refuse to vaccinate children, then the disease is right there. nine0006
By the way, doctors start vaccinating against whooping cough for babies from the age of three months. At the same time they are vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus. In this case, as a rule, a three-component DTP vaccine is used. Unfortunately, it is the whooping cough component that gives children the most trouble: fever, pain, and malaise. Therefore, sometimes doctors exclude it - an ADS is vaccinated. These are the children, vaccinated by a third, most often get sick with severe forms of whooping cough. In addition, this disease has another unpleasant feature - the lack of a person's innate immunity to it. Therefore, even a newly born child can get sick with whooping cough. nine0006

Vulnerability of the nervous system, development of allergies.
The germ that causes whooping cough dies very quickly in the environment. Therefore, it can only be picked up by airborne droplets. But for this you need to communicate quite closely with a sick person. Because even during a cough, the wand does not scatter more than two meters. By the way, it is not the causative agent of the disease that causes the symptoms of whooping cough, but the toxin that it produces. Moreover, this poison gives a diverse effect. Specifically, it increases the permeability of the brain's defenses against circulating microbes and toxins. This makes the central nervous system vulnerable to dangerous infections. Pertussis toxin also increases the body's production of insulin.
This prevents the flow of glucose into the brain and leads to its depletion. And also - increases the body's sensitivity to histamine, which entails the development of allergies. nine0006

Symptoms of whooping cough in children the very next day.
After infection with whooping cough, the first symptoms of the disease appear already on the second or third day. First, there is a dry and frequent cough. Sometimes there is also a slight runny nose, a slight increase in body temperature. That is, all the signs of the usual acute respiratory disease or mild bronchitis. Therefore, at first, neither doctors nor parents suspect that the cause of the child's illness is whooping cough. However, after a while, the cough acquires a pronounced whooping cough character. That is, it usually starts at night, becomes barking and follows attacks. In this case, the patient coughs hoarsely several times without stopping, and then takes a deep breath, which is accompanied by a specific whistling sound.
In addition, during an attack, the patient's face often turns red or even blue. And then he coughs up thick mucus or even vomits it. In general, the whooping cough cough is so special that anyone who has heard it once will immediately understand the reason for the child's ailment the second time. Interestingly, in the absence of coughing attacks, a patient with whooping cough feels quite well. nine0006
Thus, the severity of the disease is characterized primarily by the frequency and duration of coughing attacks. Moreover, after the peak of the disease, the cough begins to subside. But it lasts for quite a long time - about two months.

Whooping cough is most severe in children under the age of one year. After coughing attacks, they often stop breathing for a few seconds, or even minutes. This leads to a lack of oxygen, due to which the baby can develop serious complications of the nervous system. And the most dangerous of them are pertussis encephalitis and cerebral hemorrhages, which can turn a child into an invalid.
But most often whooping cough is complicated by pneumonia - inflammation of the lungs. Moreover, it is not at all caused by whooping cough, but by other bacteria: staphylococci, streptococci ... Even as a result of an illness, an infant may develop otitis media - inflammation of the middle ear. nine0006
Many parents believe that a child with whooping cough should definitely stay at home. However, with whooping cough it is very important how the patient breathes. Especially during the recovery period. After all, dry air provokes an increase in the amount of sputum and its thickening. As a result, it is more difficult to withdraw and clog the bronchi, causing complications. Therefore, walk with your child more often. Moreover, in the summer it is better to go for a walk in the morning, while it is humid and cool, and also in the evening, when the heat subsides. Just avoid interacting with other children. Better yet, take the child to the grandmother in the village. There, the recovery period will be faster.
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Head of the Pediatric Department DPO 72

St. Petersburg City Polyclinic No. 122 Dementieva M.V.

Whooping cough - NCCH

Whooping cough is one of the most common causes of cough in children and adults. A typical manifestation of whooping cough is a paroxysmal cough with a characteristic sound on inspiration. In babies of the first months of life, whooping cough can occur with respiratory arrest, which is very dangerous.

How can a child get whooping cough?
Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. A child can become infected with whooping cough only from a sick person: the infection is transmitted by airborne droplets during sneezing, coughing, laughing. Because whooping cough in older children and adults is often mild, with only a slight cough, they may unknowingly pass the infection on to the child. If a family member has whooping cough, an unvaccinated child has about an 80% chance of getting sick. nine0051 The first symptoms of whooping cough on average appear 7-10 days later, sometimes 21 days after infection. A sick person is contagious from the moment a runny nose appears until the fifth day of taking an antibiotic.

Can a child vaccinated against whooping cough get whooping cough?
The whooping cough component is included in many vaccines, eg DTP, Infanrix, Pentaxim. According to the calendar, pertussis vaccination is carried out at 3, 4½, 6 months and then revaccination at 1½ years. Vaccination quite reliably protects a child from whooping cough for several years, but after 3-5 years the level of protection drops. Therefore, whooping cough often occurs in children under 6 months of age who have not yet completed a full course of vaccination, and children over 6-7 years of age who received the last pertussis vaccine at the age of 1½ years. A child vaccinated against whooping cough usually gets the infection more easily than a child who has not received the vaccine. nine0008

How does whooping cough progress?
Whooping cough usually develops within 1-3 weeks.
First, the child's body temperature rises slightly (subfebrile condition occurs), a slight runny nose and cough appear. After 1-2 weeks, the cough intensifies, the child begins to suffer from coughing fits that can last more than one minute, coughing fits may be accompanied by reddening of the face, shortness of breath, respiratory arrest, vomiting, and noisy breaths occur between coughing shocks, which are called reprises. Between bouts of coughing, the child usually feels well. Against the background of whooping cough, a child may develop pneumonia, which will manifest itself as a new rise in body temperature and a deterioration in well-being. In children under one year of age, whooping cough is complicated by pneumonia in one in five cases. nine0051 The child begins to recover from whooping cough in 3-4 weeks, when the coughing fits with reprisals stop, but the cough can sometimes persist for another 1-3 months.
Babies in their first months of life can get whooping cough in a different way. Sometimes they don't have typical coughing fits. Instead of coughing or against its background, they may experience bouts of respiratory arrest (apnea).
Do not delay consulting a doctor if the child has coughing fits, cough to vomit, cough with reprisals, shortness of breath or apnea, or if the child is very lethargic. nine0008

How can you tell if your child has whooping cough?
Take your child to the doctor. If pertussis is suspected, the doctor will take blood tests for antibodies to the pertussis pathogen and/or a nasopharyngeal swab for whooping cough PCR. A chest x-ray may be needed.

What is the treatment for whooping cough?
If whooping cough is diagnosed within the first month of illness, the doctor will give the child an antibiotic. Be sure to follow the antibiotic regimen recommended by your doctor. The antibiotic slightly shortens the duration of the disease and reduces the contagiousness (contagiousness) of the disease.