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What Is Pertussis, and Why Is It Called Whooping Cough?
Pertussis cases are spiking across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In fact, they are five times higher than they were even in 2023. So what is pertussis, and why is it so scary?
Pertussis is actually a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It's called whooping cough because of the sound that people make when they're coughing. Not all kids who have whooping cough will make the whoop sound, though.
The whooping cough actually makes a "whoop" sound where you'll hear coughing, as in coughing spells, called paroxysmal coughing. And that's just a big, long coughing spasm, where kids will cough, and cough, and cough, and cough, and then you hear [whoop sound]. And that's exactly what it sounds like.
Whooping Cough Is Especially Dangerous for Babies
Pertussis in small babies under a year old may not have a whooping-like cough. They may just stop breathing. That's why pertussis really scares pediatricians. The younger the babies are, the more likely they are to just stop breathing.
That's why it's so important that kids get vaccinated for whooping cough in the first couple of sets of shots. Kids will get vaccinated for whooping cough at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 months, and finally, again, at age 4.
Pertussis is the "P" in that DTaP vaccine. They will get the first adult dose at 11 in the Tdap vaccine.
Most kids are actually protected after their third dose at 6 months. Adults need to remember they need to get an updated Tdap vaccine every 10 years.
The Three Phases of Whooping Cough in Older Kids
- For older kids, pertussis actually has three different phases. The first one is about two weeks long, and they just have persistent cold symptoms, like runny nose, mild cough, and pink eyes. Not pink eye as in goopy conjunctivitis eyes, but just injected eyes.
- The second phase is when you hear that "whoop" sound. It's just a cough that gets worse, and worse, and worse, and it can last up to a month. The cough can often make kids vomit, or make their face turn red or blue, and it's almost always worse at night. It's not the same as croup.
- The third phase of whooping cough is recovery, and that takes about another month for the cough to improve.
Diagnosing and Treating Whooping Cough
The good news is whooping cough is detected by a swab that we will put up a child's nose and send off to look for this particular bacteria. If the test comes back positive for that bacteria, there are antibiotics that can be given to treat whooping cough.
If your child is old enough to have had all the whooping cough vaccines, then the good news is that they probably aren't going to get pertussis. Or if they do get it, they won't get severe symptoms, even if they're exposed to someone who has tested positive and they test positive also. This vaccine is actually very effective.
Stopping the Spread of Whooping Cough
Pertussis is very contagious. That's why it's really important that, if you have a baby that you are around, you are up to date on your whooping cough vaccine.
Pregnant women get them through their OBs. Dads certainly need to be up to date on their vaccine too. Anyone who's a daycare provider needs to be vaccinated, and grandparents need to get that pertussis vaccine too.
Now, if you know that your child is fully vaccinated, but they've been around someone who was symptomatic and actually tested positive for pertussis, they can have the virus and none, or minimal, symptoms. So it's best to have them seen and tested and started on antibiotics so they don't develop symptoms, and don't spread this to others. Pertussis is very treatable, and it's just a short course of antibiotics.
Pertussis is one of those diseases, too, that is tracked through the health department, so we can stop the spread as quickly as possible if we know who has it.
So, remember, whooping cough is a very dangerous disease, especially for babies. They don't have immunity yet, and the risk of death from whooping cough is far greater than any of the possible side effects from that shot.
More Answers to Your Questions on Keeping Your Kid Healthy
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