Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious disease that is caused by Bordetella pertussis. It is a disease of the respiratory tract and can be found in the mouth, nose, and throat of an infected person. There are about 5,000 cases each year in the USA. Even though it is possible to get pertussis at any age, 75% of the infected are under five years old, and 50% of these are children under one year old. The disease is most serious in infants and preschool-aged children.

Becoming Infected
We can become infected with whooping cough by breathing droplets that are infected with the bacteria. These droplets are created when a person who is infected coughs, sneezes, or even talks.

Symptoms
The sickness usually begins with flu-like symptoms that include sneezing, a runny nose, low fever, and a mild cough. During the next two weeks, the cough becomes more severe and is characterized by fits of violent coughing. The fits can be long and severe enough that the infected person may have trouble getting a breath of air. When this happens, the person makes "whooping" noises after coughing. Babies that are under six months old and adults usually do not make the "whooping" sound. A thick, clear mucus may be "discharged". Partially immunized children and older people have milder symptoms. The symptoms usually start five to ten days after being exposed to someone with whooping cough, but they may start as many as twenty-one days later. A person with pertussis is contagious from the start of the earliest symptoms to three weeks after the start of the coughing fits.

Vaccine
The vaccine is usually given together with diphtheria and tetanus in a shot called DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis). DTP should be given at two, four, six, and fifteen months of age, and between four and six years of age.
 
 
 
 

Bibliography

http://mano.icsd.hawaii.gov/doh/recource/comm_dis/cddpertu.htm
http://www.netmedicine.com/pt/PTINFO/pert.htm
http://medic.med.uth.tmc.edu/path/00001492.htm

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