Whooping Cough

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable coughing. The name comes from the noise you make when you take a breath after you cough. You may have choking spells or may cough so hard that you vomit.

Anyone can get whooping cough, but it is more common in infants and children. It's especially dangerous for infants. The coughing spells can be so bad that it is hard for infants to eat, drink, or breathe.

To make a diagnosis, your doctor may do a physical exam, blood tests, chest x-rays, or nose or throat cultures.

Before there was a vaccine, whooping cough was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood deaths in the U.S. Now most cases are prevented by vaccines. If you have whooping cough, treatment with antibiotics may help if given early.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Pertussis Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Whooping Cough (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Whooping Cough (Pertussis) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Pertussis Signs & Symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Whooping Cough Diagnosis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccines: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Pertussis Diagnosis & Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Images

• Photos of Pertussis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• One Family's Struggles with Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases)

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Whooping Cough or Pertussis (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Outbreaks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Whooping Cough (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Fatal malignant pertussis with hyperleukocytosis in a Chinese infant: A...
• Article: Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria with Vaccines in the...
• Article: Using the 4 Pillars to increase vaccination among high-risk adults:...
• Whooping Cough -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Help Protect Babies from Whooping Cough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Whooping Cough (Pertussis) - Fact Sheet for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Woes of Whooping Cough (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Whooping Cough and the Pertussis Vaccine (Children's Hospital Boston) Also in Spanish

Women

• Preventing Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Pertussis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Whooping Cough also Known as Pertussis (American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF