Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

In most cases, the disease begins with cold-like symptoms that progress to a paroxysmal cough with a ‘whoop’ on breathing in. In adults, a persistent cough is the main symptom.

Babies under 12 months of age are more severely affected and often require hospital admission. Around one in every 200 children under six months of age who contract pertussis will die. The most common cause of death is pertussis pneumonia.

Complications of pertussis include convulsions, pneumonia, coma, inflammation of the brain and brain damage.

The incidence and severity of pertussis are reduced by immunisation. The pertussis vaccine is usually given as a trivalent vaccine (triple antigen), in which pertussis is combined with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.

The primary course of vaccination consists of three doses in infancy. Booster doses are recommended later in childhood and in secondary school. Boosting adults is now strongly recommended and should be given as the trivalent vaccination, ten yearly for travellers. The vaccine is also now strongly advised for pregnant women in their third trimester to provide some protection for babies at birth. Those who will be caring for or in close contact with babies are encouraged to be vaccinated as well.

Antibiotics can stop people from being contagious to others once the course is completed, but they do not usually stop the cough, which may persist for months. Close contacts of infected individuals, such as people within the same household, are usually prescribed antibiotics as a preventative measure, even if they are fully immunised.