What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is the common name for pertussis, a contagious bacterial infection that causes severe coughing fits. It’s most common in babies, but adults can get it too. Adults can also spread it to babies and young children. It can be serious for people with a lung disease like COPD.
The infection is caused by bacteria (Bordetella pertussis). It was named “whooping cough” because of the ‘whoop’ sound that can happen during extended coughing. It can spread through coughs and sneezes to other people nearby.
Who is most at risk?
- People not vaccinated against whooping cough
- People who haven’t had a booster vaccine in 10 years
- Babies under 6 months old
- People living with someone who has whooping cough
- People with COPD are more likely to get whooping cough, and it can worsen their COPD.
Symptoms
It starts like a cold with a runny nose, sneezing, mild cough and fever. The cough gets much worse, coming in long, uncontrollable bursts. Sometimes there’s a “whoop” sound during a coughing fit, which comes from taking in a quick breath between coughs.
Prevention
Vaccination is the best protection as it prevents most serious cases from happening and limits the spreading of the illness to others. It’s free for children and pregnant women. Pregnant women should get vaccinated during each pregnancy to protect their baby each time. The vaccination is safe to have during pregnancy.
A booster vaccination is recommended for:
- Breastfeeding women (if not vaccinated during pregnancy)
- Adults 65 and over who haven’t had a booster in 10 years
- Adults under 65 who haven’t had a recent booster and are around young children (like healthcare workers, childcare workers, parents and grandparents)
Your immunity will lessen over time. You can get a booster at:
- Your doctor’s clinic
- Council clinics (in some areas)
- Community health centres
- Aboriginal health services
- Some pharmacies.
Diagnosis and treatment
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and if you’ve been around anyone with whooping cough. They’ll listen to your breathing and might do a nose or throat swab or blood test.
Once diagnosed, antibiotics are used to treat whooping cough. They may not speed up your recovery, but they help prevent you from spreading it to others. You’re no longer contagious after five days from starting antibiotics or three weeks after the cough starts. Getting plenty of rest, drinking water or other fluids and avoiding cigarette smoke can help relieve your symptoms.
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