Whooping cough (also known as 'pertussis') is a highly infectious infection of the lungs and airways. It is caused by a bacteria.
Can
be prevented by vaccination
Young
babies are most at risk of harm from whooping cough as they have soft airways
that can be damaged from the severe coughing bouts.
Older
children and adults, including those who have been vaccinated, can still get
whooping cough
While
it is not as critically dangerous as it is in small babies, it is still a
distressing condition, with the cough lasting up to 3 months. Whooping cough has been called the ‘100 day cough’.
Symptoms:
Ø The condition usually
begins with a lasting dry and irritating cough that progresses to intense bouts
of coughing.
Ø Particularly in small
children, these bouts can be followed by a distinctive 'whooping' noise as the
child breathes in, which is how the condition gets its name, but in many cases
the only sign is the hacking cough.
Ø Other symptoms include
a runny nose, raised temperature and vomiting after coughing.
Symptoms
appear about 7 to 10 days after you are infected. You are infectious from the
first signs of the illness until about 3 weeks after coughing starts.
If
an antibiotic is given, the infectious period will continue for up to 5 days
after starting treatment.
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