How to Avoid Whooping Cough in Your Family

It feels overwhelming when your child is sick and you don’t know what is causing their illness, especially when there are so many childhood viruses and infections. Whooping cough (pertussis) can cause serious illness in people of all ages but is most dangerous for babies under age one. Cases have been climbing in recent years due to lower vaccination rates among children and adults in the US.

Learn more about this respiratory infection, the pertussis vaccine, and how to keep your family safe and healthy. As adults, you have an important role to play in keeping young children healthy.

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough is an infection of the lungs and respiratory tract that can cause coughing fits. Whooping cough is also known as pertussis. A bacteria called Bordetella pertussis causes this highly contagious (easily spread) infection. Whooping cough spreads easily when an infected person coughs, spraying droplets filled with bacteria into the air. Other people are then infected when they inhale these droplets.

What are the symptoms of whooping cough?

Whooping cough starts with mild symptoms and is often mistaken for a cold. It usually takes five to ten days for symptoms to appear after first being infected, but it can take as long as three weeks. It is extremely contagious, and for a long period of time. Without treatment, whooping cough can be spread to others for weeks after the cough first appears.

After the early days of cold-like symptoms (runny nose, congestion, fever, red and watery eyes, and cough), pertussis symptoms worsen to include:

  • Uncontrollable coughing fits
  • Thick mucus in the lungs, which triggers a hacking cough
  • Gagging or vomiting as a result of coughing
  • A blue tint around the mouth from lack of oxygen after a coughing fit
  • A reddening of the face from the work of coughing
  • Low-grade fever (less than 100.4° Fahrenheit)
  • Dehydration (not having enough fluid in your body)
  • Coughing ending with a high-pitched “whoop” sound during the next inhalation of air

Not everyone with pertussis will make this “whooping” or barking sound when they cough. Babies may not cough at all. Instead, they can struggle to breathe and may even temporarily stop breathing (apnea).

On the other hand, sometimes the only symptom of whooping cough in adults and adolescents is a hacking cough that goes on for six weeks or longer (pertussis has been known as the 100-day cough). While it can help make a diagnosis, healthcare providers don’t require this type of coughing to diagnose whooping cough.

How is whooping cough diagnosed?

While some healthcare providers diagnose whooping cough based on symptoms alone, others use medical tests to diagnose whooping cough and complications. These possible tests are:

  • A swab of the back of the throat (like the test for Strep throat)
  • A blood test (checking for signs of infection in your blood, used to tell the severity of the infection, but not to diagnose whooping cough)
  • An X-ray of the chest to check for a lung infection. An X-ray can show if the whooping cough bacteria has caused a lung infection (pneumonia).

Because the signs and symptoms of whooping cough can be tricky to identify in young infants and children, call your healthcare provider if prolonged coughing spells cause you or your child to:

  • Vomit
  • Turn red or blue
  • Struggle to breathe or have noticeable pauses in breathing 
  • Inhale with a whooping sound

How serious is whooping cough?

While it is rare for someone to die from whooping cough, deaths do occur, most often in infants. Infants under 12 months who are unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated are at the greatest risk for severe complications and death. Unfortunately, babies cannot get their first pertussis vaccine until they are two months old. That’s why it’s crucial for pregnant people to be vaccinated against whooping cough in the third trimester. It’s also crucial for any adults who are regularly visiting or caring for newborns to be up to date on their vaccine. 

Is there a vaccine for whooping cough?

Yes. There are two vaccines in the U.S. to prevent the spread of whooping cough: DTaP and Tdap. These vaccines protect against three infections: pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria.

The AAPrecommends that babies and young children get five shots of DTaP between 2 months and 6 years. Older children and teens should get one shot of Tdap when they are 11 to 12 years old. Although it seems like a lot of doses, repeated small doses of the pertussis vaccine help to build immunity over time and keep your baby protected. The whopping cough vaccine isn’t perfect, but it greatly reduces the risk of catching it, and makes the illness milder for those who do get it.

Pregnant people should get Tdap during the early part of the 3rd trimester of each pregnancy. There are three good reasons to get the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy. 

  1. Pregnancy causes immune system changes that make it more likely a pregnant person will get sick or have complications from an illness. So, if they are vaccinated with Tdap, they can protect their own health. 
  2. We now know that babies are protected for about two months from vaccination during pregnancy. That’s right! Your choice to get vaccinated against whooping cough is a “vaccination” for your newborn. Research suggests it’s about 78% effective for the first two months of life. Perfect timing, as your baby can get their first dose of Dtap at their 2-month visit. 
  3. If expectant parents and adult caregivers and family are vaccinated (and boosted) before the birth, then the infant will be at a much lower risk of catching whooping cough in the two months before they are old enough to get their first DTaP vaccine.

How is whooping cough treated?

Healthcare providers usually hospitalize infants with whooping cough for close monitoring and treatment because the infection is more severe for infants. Intravenous fluids (via a small tube in their veins) may be needed if your baby can’t keep down liquids or food. They may also need a tube that goes through their nose to their stomach if they are losing weight and cannot hold food down. Your child will also be isolated from others so they don’t get other babies sick. They will be monitored for severe complications like apnea, pneumonia, and seizures. 

Antibiotics (medications to kill the bacteria causing pertussis) are given to help stop the spread of pertussis and make your child less contagious. Exposed family members may be given antibiotics to prevent them from getting infected if their exposure was very recent. Unfortunately, although these medications can make it less likely your baby will infect others, they do not stop the cough or difficulty breathing. Early treatment can be beneficial if you know you or your child have been exposed. Healthcare providers do not recommend treatment with over-the-counter cough-suppressing medications.

Older children and adults can usually safely recover at home from whooping cough while taking prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment usually lasts for 5 days, while the cough and fatigue may take 6 weeks or more to improve. Make sure your child with whooping cough has plenty to drink (water, juice, and soup) to avoid dehydration (not having enough fluids). Signs of dehydration to watch for are dizziness, dry, cracked lips, no tears when crying, and not peeing as often as usual. Resting in a cool, dark bedroom or room without any lung-irritating smoke from a fireplace or cigarettes will help your child recover faster and have fewer coughing spells. A cool-mist humidifier can help ease breathing, loosening secretions in your child’s lungs. It’s not uncommon for children with a severe cough to lose control of their bladder. It’s important to reassure them that accidents of this kind are normal and will not happen when they are well. Watch for episodes of passing out or severe pain in the chest (it’s possible to break a rib from the force of coughing). 

If someone you live with is diagnosed with whooping cough, you can minimize its spread to other family members with the same illness protections you are already familiar with, such as:

  • Limiting contact with the infected person (having them isolate in their bedroom, for example).
  • Wash your hands often.
  • Wearing a mask when around them.

Talk to your healthcare providers about whether other family members or close contacts need antibiotic treatment. Vaccinating against pertussis is the best way to protect you and your family, especially if you are pregnant or have young children at home with you. With widespread vaccination, pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks are rare and cause very few complications or deaths. Talk with other adults and caregivers around your family to make sure they are up to date on their vaccines and boosters.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

A note on vaccines

Ovia Health by Labcorp is committed to providing evidence-based guidance and supporting families with trusted health information. Recent shifts and changes to vaccination recommendations and schedules for pregnant women, children, and infants have raised questions about the safety and efficacy. We continue to follow the guidance of leading medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians about vaccination safety and continued use. Your healthcare provider is best positioned to advise you on vaccination safety for pregnant women, infants, children, and the broader public.

Sources