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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
1:32 Causes of Whooping cough
2:05 Symptoms of Whooping cough
2:53 Diagnosis of Whooping cough
3:34 Treatment of Whooping cough



Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease.[1][10] Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by weeks of severe coughing fits.[1] Following a fit of coughing, a highpitched whoop sound or gasp may occur as the person breathes in.[1] The coughing may last for 10 or more weeks, hence the phrase "100day cough".[3] A person may cough so hard that they vomit, break ribs, or become very tired from the effort.[1][2] Children less than one year old may have little or no cough and instead have periods where they do not breathe.[1] The time between infection and the onset of symptoms is usually seven to ten days.[11] Disease may occur in those who have been vaccinated, but symptoms are typically milder.[1]

Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.[4] It is spread easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.[4][12] People are infectious from the start of symptoms until about three weeks into the coughing fits.[7] Those treated with antibiotics are no longer infectious after five days.[7] Diagnosis is by collecting a sample from the back of the nose and throat.[5] This sample can then be tested by either culture or by polymerase chain reaction.[5]