Whooping cough (pertussis) factsheet
Introduction
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial lung infection that leads to intense coughing.
Whooping cough is contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing, and sharing close spaces with people with the virus.
Babies under six months of age are especially vulnerable to whooping cough and often require hospital treatment.
Signs and symptoms
One of the main signs of whooping cough is a long, forceful period of coughing with a high-pitched ‘whoop’ sound when breathing in.
Whooping cough symptoms will usually develop in two stages.
Stage 1
Cold-like symptoms that last for 1-2 weeks, including:
- a strong, dry cough
- fever
- runny nose.
Stage 2
The coughing begins, and your child may make a "whoop" noise. Your child may appear well in between episodes of coughing.
Babies under six months may have periods of not breathing rather than coughing. This stage can last over ten weeks, depending on your child's sick.
Forceful coughing and infection can also cause:
- vomiting
- tightening in the chest
- difficulty breathing and catching their breath
- pneumonia
- scleral haemorrhage - redness or blood spots in the whites of the eye
- dehydration
- middle ear infections.
Call your local doctor or go to your nearest emergency department If your child is showing signs like
- rapid breathing
- noisy breathing
- difficulty breathing.
Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance if your child:
- stops breathing for longer periods
- has a purple or blue colour around their lips
- loses consciousness.
Diagnosis
Your child’s doctor can diagnose whooping cough by:
- checking their symptoms
- testing a swab of the nose and throat
- doing a blood test.
Treatment
Antibiotics can treat whooping cough when caught early, before three weeks. They can help reduce the seriousness of symptoms and the risk of spreading whooping cough to others.
Treating your child's whooping cough at home will often include:
- lots of rest
- small, frequent sips of fluids
- isolating while infectious until they have been coughing for over three weeks
- removing irritants from the home including aerosol sprays and cigarette smoke.
Babies under six months of age will usually need treatment in a hospital as whooping cough can be life-threatening.
Management
Immunisation
The best way to protect your child from whooping cough is to have them immunised as part of the Australian National Immunisation Program (NIP).
Immunisation for whooping cough includes five vaccines given at the following ages:
- 6-8 weeks (two months)
- four months
- six months
- 18 months
- four years.
Immunity from the whooping cough vaccine will fade with time. A booster dose of the immunisation is recommended for:
- anyone who had their last dose over ten years ago
- children between 11 and 13 years old
- parents between 20 and 32 weeks of pregnancy
- anyone who will be in contact with a baby under six months old.
Babies are at higher risk of whooping cough because they are too young to have been fully immunised.
As a parent, you should feel confident reminding friends and family to have the whooping cough vaccine before visiting your baby. This is to make sure your baby is protected from severe illness. Babies can catch whooping cough from older children or adults, who may not realise they are infected.
Prevention
To prevent the spread of whooping cough, ensure you and your family are up to date with immunisations and teach your child good hygiene habits like:
- washing hands
- not sharing cups
- wearing a mask when sick
- covering their mouth when coughing
- cleaning and disinfecting toys used while sick.
