Whooping cough why is it spreading

If you have gotten the pertussis vaccine but still get sick, the infection is usually not as bad. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Pertussis Whooping Cough.

Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Causes and Transmission. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Since infants are particularly prone to complications from whooping cough, they may need to be hospitalized for treatment.

It can be spread to other people when a person with the infection coughs or sneezes. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to severe complications from whooping cough. You can help to prevent whooping cough by making sure that you and your child stay up to date on your recommended vaccinations. If you suspect that you or your child has been exposed to whooping cough, contact your doctor.

Additionally, frequent hand-washing and practicing good hygiene can help prevent the spread of many infectious diseases, including whooping cough.

Tdap and DTaP are two vaccines that both protect against three diseases: Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

Learn more…. What may seem like a normal cold to you could actually be whooping cough. Learn why you can still get this contagious disease, even if you were…. Learn more about the Tdap vaccine. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. How serious it is. Symptoms of infection. What happens if you do get it? The takeaway. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Dr.

Sirisha Yellayi, DO. It mainly affects babies younger than 6 months old who aren't yet protected by immunizations, and kids 11 to 18 years old whose immunity has started to fade. Whooping cough causes severe coughing spells, which can sometimes end in a "whooping" sound when the child breathes in.

After about 1 to 2 weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into coughing spells. During a coughing spell, which can last for more than a minute, a child may turn red or purple.

At the end of a spell, the child may make the characteristic whooping sound when breathing in or may vomit. Between spells, the child usually feels well. While many infants and younger kids with whooping cough develop the coughing fits and accompanying whoop, not all do. And sometimes babies don't cough or whoop as older kids do. Infants may look as if they're gasping for air with a reddened face and may actually stop breathing this is called apnea for a few seconds during very bad spells.

Adults and teens may have milder or different symptoms, such as a prolonged cough rather than coughing spells or coughing without the whoop. Pertussis is highly contagious. The bacteria spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from an infected person's nose or mouth. These may become airborne when the person sneezes, coughs, or laughs.

Others then can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses. Infected people are most contagious during the earliest stages of the illness for up to about 2 weeks after the cough begins. Antibiotics shorten the period of contagiousness to 5 days following the start of antibiotic treatment. Whooping cough can be prevented with the pertussis vaccine , which is part of the DTaP diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis immunization.

DTaP immunizations are routinely given in five doses before a child's sixth birthday. For additional protection in case immunity fades, experts recommend that kids ages get a booster shot of the new combination vaccine called Tdap , ideally when they're 11 or 12 years old.

The Tdap vaccine is similar to DTaP but with lower concentrations of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid. It also should be given to adults who did not receive it as preteens or teens. The vaccine is also recommended for all pregnant women during the second half of each pregnancy, regardless of whether or not they had the vaccine before, or when it was last given. Getting the vaccine is especially important for people who are in close contact with infants, because babies can develop severe and potentially life-threatening complications from whooping cough.