Whooping cough

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and airways, and it spreads very easily. It causes repeated bouts of coughing that can last for 2 to 3 months or more. Babies and young children in particular can become very ill with it.

The infection passes on in the droplets from the coughs or sneezes of someone who has it.

Whooping cough starts out looking like a cold. You may see a runny nose, red and watery eyes, a sore throat and a slightly raised temperature.

About a week later, the intense coughing bouts begin. Each bout usually lasts a few minutes, and they tend to happen more at night. The cough usually brings up thick mucus, and you or your child may vomit afterwards.

Between coughs, you or your child may gasp for breath. This can make a "whoop" sound, though not everyone has it. The strain of coughing can turn the face very red, and there may be some slight bleeding under the skin or in the eyes.

Young children's skin can sometimes turn dusky or blue for a short time (cyanosis) if they have trouble breathing. In very young babies, the cough may not be particularly noticeable, but they may have brief periods where they stop breathing.

Over time the bouts become less severe and less frequent. It may still be a few months before they stop completely.

Whooping cough can affect people of any age. That includes:

• babies and young children (young babies under 6 months of age are at a particularly increased risk of complications of whooping cough)
• older children and adults (it tends to be less serious in these cases, but can still be unpleasant and frustrating)
• people who've had whooping cough before (you're not immune if you've had it before, although it tends to be less severe the second time around)
• people vaccinated against whooping cough as a child (protection from the vaccine tends to wear off after a few years)

You can get whooping cough if you come into close contact with someone who has the infection.

A person with whooping cough is infectious from about 6 days after they were infected, when they just have cold-like symptoms, until three weeks after the coughing bouts start. Antibiotic treatment can reduce the length of time someone is infectious.

You or your child:

• have serious breathing difficulties, such as long spells of breathlessness or choking, shallow breathing, moments when breathing stops, or dusky, blue skin
• show signs of serious complications of whooping cough, such as fits (seizures) or pneumonia

See a doctor or phone the 16263 health line if you or your child:

• have symptoms of whooping cough
• have had a cough for more than 3 weeks
• have a cough that is particularly severe or is getting worse

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

Children under 6 months who are very ill, and people with severe symptoms, will usually be admitted to hospital.

If whooping cough is diagnosed in the first 3 weeks of infection, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to take at home. These help stop the infection spreading to others, but they may not reduce the symptoms.

People who've had the infection for more than 3 weeks won't normally need any specific treatment. They're no longer contagious, and antibiotics are unlikely to help.

While you're recovering at home, it can help to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. Clean away mucus and sick from your own or your child's mouth. For a fever, you can take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Avoid cough medicines. They're not suitable for young children and are unlikely to be of much help.

If you or your child are on antibiotics for whooping cough, take care not to pass the infection on to other people.

• stay away from nursery, school or work until 2 days after the start of antibiotic treatment or, if you're not taking antibiotics, 3 weeks from when the coughing bouts started
• cover your or your child's mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze
• throw away used tissues straight away
• wash your hands and your child's hands regularly with soap and water

Other members of your household may also be given antibiotics and a dose of the whooping cough vaccine, to stop them becoming infected.

There are 3 routine vaccinations that can protect babies and children from whooping cough:

• the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy, which can protect your baby during the first few weeks of life. The best time to have it is soon after the 16th week of your pregnancy
• the 6-in-1 vaccine, offered to babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age
• the 4-in-1 pre-school booster, offered to children by 3 years and 4 months

These vaccines don't give lifelong protection from whooping cough, but they can help stop children getting it when they're young and more vulnerable to the effects of the infection.

Older children and adults aren't routinely vaccinated, except during pregnancy or a whooping cough outbreak.

Whooping cough usually hits babies and young children under 6 months hardest. They're at an increased risk of:

• dehydration
• breathing difficulties
• weight loss
• pneumonia (an infection of the lungs)
• fits (seizures)
• kidney problems
• brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen reaching the brain
• death, although this is very rare

Older children and adults tend to be less severely affected. They may still have problems caused by repeated coughing, such as nosebleeds, bruised ribs or a hernia.