What is pertussis?

Pertussis, also called “whooping cough,” is a disease caused by bacteria that is easily spread from person to person. Pertussis is usually mild in older children and adults, but it often causes serious problems in very young children, especially infants.

Pertussis symptoms begin like a cold with a runny nose, sneezing, and cough. After 1 or 2 weeks, the cough slowly gets worse and is marked by uncontrolled coughing spells, vomiting after coughing, and sometimes a whooping noise that you can hear when the person breathes in. During severe coughing spells or spasms, a person may stop breathing or become blue in the face from lack of air. Between spells, the person often appears to be well. Severe coughing spells last for about 2 to 6 weeks. Symptoms wane gradually over weeks to months. Adults, teens, and vaccinated children often have milder symptoms that can be like bronchitis, asthma, or other cough illness. Infants may only have apnea (failure to breathe) and can die.

Pertussis can occur at any age. Recent outbreaks have shown that older children and adults carry the disease, which in its milder form is hard to recognize. Persons with mild pertussis can transmit the illness to un-immunized and partially immunized infants and young children, who are susceptible to more severe illness, such as pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and seizures.

Pertussis can occur at any age. Recent outbreaks have shown that older children and adults carry the disease, which in its milder form is hard to recognize. Persons with mild pertussis can transmit the illness to un-immunized and partially immunized infants and young children, who are susceptible to more severe illness, such as pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and seizures.

The germs that cause pertussis live in the nose, mouth and throat, and are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. Other people nearby can then breathe in the germs. The first symptoms usually appear 7 to 10 days after a person is exposed. People with pertussis can spread the disease during the cold-like stage until 3 weeks after the cough starts, or until they have finished 5 days of an appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Pertussis can be very hard to diagnose. A doctor may think a patient has pertussis because of the symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis, the physician will swab the back of the nose for laboratory testing.

Pertussis is treated with antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin) to shorten the period of communicability, but will not reduce symptoms unless given early in the course of illness. Patients are advised to take all prescribed medication and minimize close contact with others during the treatment period, particularly infants and young children. Children should not attend school until they have completed antibiotic treatment or are no longer infectious.

Vaccination is the best way to protect against pertussis. Pertussis vaccine is given with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines (DTaP) at 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months of age and at 4-6 years. Booster vaccination with Tdap is recommended at 11-18 years of age. Adults should receive a single dose of Tdap to replace a single dose of Td. Consult your physician to make sure you are up to date on pertussis vaccination. For more information, view the following page: Preventing Pertussis Infection