Pertussis Information Center

Learn About Whooping Cough

Whooping Cough Overview:

• Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, is a serious and highly contagious infection.
• It is named after the "whoop" sound children and adults make when they try to breathe in during or after a severe coughing spell.  These coughing spells may make it hard to breathe, eat, or sleep.
• Whooping cough can lead to cracked ribs, pneumonia, or hospitalization.
• While considered a childhood infection, we now know that adolescents and adults are at risk for infection.  This is because protection from childhood whooping cough vaccination wears off 5 to 10 years after the last childhood vaccination.
• It is estimated that up to one million cases of whooping cough may actually occur every year in the United States, across all age groups.  Only a minority are officially reported because it is a difficult infection to diagnose.  For instance, just over 25,000 cases were reported in 2005. 

Symptoms of Whooping Cough:

• At first, symptoms of whooping cough may mimic those of the common cold, including runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever, and mild, occasional coughing.  The cough will gradually become more severe, and after 1 to 2 weeks, the patient may have bursts of numerous, rapid coughs sometimes followed by a high-pitched “whoop” sound.  These coughing bursts occur frequently at night, with an average of 15 attacks per 24 hours. 

• Adolescents and adults are often the source of disease in infants. Studies indicate that, when the source of a case can be traced, mothers are responsible for nearly one-third of whooping cough cases in infants.  Other family members, such as fathers and older siblings, can also transmit whooping cough to young infants. 
• In addition, 80 percent of whooping cough deaths in the last decade occurred in infants under six months of age.
• If you have any whooping cough symptoms, it is important to see your doctor, especially if you have contact with infants less than 12 months of age.  Your doctor may test you for whooping cough and/or give you antibiotics to help treat the infection and prevent you from spreading it to others. 

Whooping Cough Prevention:

• In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration approved two Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) booster vaccines for adolescents and adults to protect against whooping cough.  ADACEL is recommended for use in persons ages 11-64 and Boostrix is licensed for use in adolescents ages 10-18.

•  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that adolescents 11 and 12 years of age receive Tdap in place of the tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster typically given, and that adolescents 13 through 18 who missed the 11- to 12-year dose of Td receive a Tdap booster. Adolescents ages 11 to 18 who have already been vaccinated with Td are encouraged to receive a dose of Tdap to further protect against pertussis, if at least 2 years have passed since their last dose of Td. 
• It is recommended that adults ages 19-64 receive a single dose of Tdap for pertussis protection, especially those who have close contact with infants less than 12 months of age.

• ACIP recommends that health care workers in hospitals and/or ambulatory care settings receive Tdap, with priority given to those in contact with infants under 12 months.  Recent outbreaks in hospital settings have demonstrated the need for Tdap boosters for health care workers in order to prevent the spread of whooping cough.

Go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm to see the most current CDC Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules.