What is Pertussis?

Pertussis is a highly contagious upper respiratory infection that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing and makes breathing difficult. Bordetella pertussis bacteria causes this serious disease, which can cause permanent disability or death in infants. Pertussis is also called whooping cough because patients produce a deep "whooping" sound when they try to take a breath.

What are the symptoms of pertussis?

Pertussis may cause runny nose, mild fever and diarrhea in infected individuals. The most characteristic symptom is severe, repeated coughing that:

• makes breathing difficult
• causes vomiting,  
• produces a high-pitched "whooping" sound when a person takes a breath
• causes a short loss of consciousness
• causes choking spells in infants

The infection usually lasts 6 weeks.

Who is most likely to get pertussis?

Pertussis can affect people of any age. Before vaccines were widely available, the disease was most common in infants and young children. Now that most children are immunized before entering school, the higher percentage of cases is seen among adolescents and adults.

How is pertussis treated?

If started early enough, antibiotics such as erythromycin and amoxicillin can make the symptoms go away. Most patients are diagnosed too late, when antibiotics aren't very effective. Infants under 18 months of age require constant supervision because breathing may temporarily stop during coughing spells. Infants with severe cases should be hospitalized.

If you or your childdevelop symptoms of pertussis, call your health care provider.

Call 911 or get to an emergency room if the infected person has any of the following symptoms:

• bluish skin color, which indicates a lack of oxygen
• periods of stopped breathing (apnea)
• seizures or convulsions
• high fever
• persistent vomiting
• dehydration

How can I protect myself from Pertussis?

The best protection against Pertussis is vaccination.  The TDaP vaccine (for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and pertussis-only vaccine help protect children against this disease. Vaccination starts in infancy.

Because the pertussis vaccine can start to wear off after a few years, and some previously immunized teens and adults have gotten mild forms of pertussis. In April 2005, the U.S. government approved the first pertussis booster shot for kids aged 10 to 18. The booster shot, called boostrix, is a lower dose of infant pertussis vaccine.

The booster shot may help reduce the number of pertussis cases in adolescents and adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vaccinating children at 11-12 years of age.

To find out more about Pertussis, check out the Healthline web site,
http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/pertussis, or contact your doctor.