Instead of coughing, infants may have a pause in their breathing, called apnea, which is very serious. You should consult your health care provider or call if you observe pauses in breathing.
Symptoms of whooping cough may include:. Coughing, violently and rapidly, until all the air has left the lungs and a person is forced to inhale, causing a "whooping" sound. The symptoms of whooping cough may look like other medical conditions. Always consult your health care provider for a diagnosis. In addition to a complete medical history and physical exam, diagnosis of whooping cough is often confirmed with a culture taken from the nose.
Antibiotics are typically given within 3 weeks of the onset of cough in babies over age 1 year, and within 6 weeks of the onset of cough in infants younger than 1 year.
Antibiotics are also given to pregnant women within 6 weeks of the onset of cough. Antibiotics help to prevent the spread of infection after 5 days of treatment. Other treatment may include:. Although a vaccine has been developed against whooping cough, which is routinely given to children in their first year of life, cases of the disease still occur, especially in infants younger than age 6 months.
Older children and adults tend to be less severely affected, although they may experience problems caused by repeated coughing, such as nosebleeds , bruised ribs or a hernia.
Home Illnesses and conditions Infections and poisoning Whooping cough. Whooping cough. About whooping cough Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways.
Whooping cough is spread in the droplets of the coughs or sneezes of someone with the infection. This page covers: Symptoms Who's at risk When to get medical advice Treatment Stopping the infection spreading Vaccinations Complications Symptoms of whooping cough The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold , such as a runny nose, red and watery eyes, a sore throat, and a slightly raised temperature.
Intense coughing bouts start about a week later. The bouts usually last a few minutes at a time and tend to be more common at night.
Coughing usually brings up thick mucus and may be followed by vomiting. Between coughs, you or your child may gasp for breath — this may cause a "whoop" sound, although not everyone has this. The strain of coughing can cause the face to become very red, and there may be some slight bleeding under the skin or in the eyes. This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more.
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Thank you! You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you. Our service is free and we are here to help you. Five Things to Know about Whooping Cough. Back to Each Breath Blog. Whooping cough most commonly occurs in children but can affect anyone at any age. Pertussis is known for the distinct "whooping" sound made at the end of a coughing episode, giving it the name.
The use of cough medications is not recommended in the treatment of whooping cough. 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. 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. 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 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.
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