Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways.
It causes repeated coughing bouts that can last for 2 to 3 months or more, and can make babies and young children in particular very ill.
Whooping cough is spread in the droplets of the coughs or sneezes of someone with the infection.
The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold, such as a runny nose, red and watery eyes, a sore throat, and a slightly raised temperature.
Intense coughing bouts start about a week later.
The bouts usually last a few minutes at a time and tend to be more common at night.
Coughing usually brings up thick mucus and may be followed by vomiting.
Between coughs, you or your child may gasp for breath – this may cause a ‘whoop’ sound, although not everyone has this.
The strain of coughing can cause the face to become very red, and there may be some slight bleeding under the skin or in the eyes.
Young children can sometimes briefly turn blue (cyanosis) if they have trouble breathing – this often looks worse than it is and their breathing should start again quickly.
In very young babies, the cough may not be particularly noticeable, but there may be brief periods where they stop breathing.
The bouts will eventually start to become less severe and less frequent over time, but it may be a few months before they stop completely.
Whooping cough can affect people of any age, including:
You can get whooping cough if you come into close contact with someone with the infection.
A person with whooping cough is infectious from about six days after they were infected – when they just have cold-like symptoms – until three weeks after the coughing bouts start.
Antibiotic treatment can reduce the length of time someone is infectious.
See your GP or phone 111 if you or your child:
Phone 999 or go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department if you or your child:
Treatment for whooping cough depends on your age and how long you’ve had the infection.
Children under 6 months who are very ill and people with severe symptoms will usually be admitted to hospital for treatment.
People diagnosed during the first 3 weeks of infection may be prescribed antibiotics to take at home – these will help stop the infection spreading to others, but may not reduce the symptoms.
People who’ve had whooping cough for more than three weeks won’t normally need any specific treatment, as they’re no longer contagious and antibiotics are unlikely to help.
While you’re recovering at home, it can help to get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, clean away mucus and sick from your or your child’s mouth, and take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for a fever.
Avoid using cough medicines, as they’re not suitable for young children and are unlikely to be of much help.
If you or your child are taking antibiotics for whooping cough, you need to be careful not to spread the infection to others.
Other members of your household may also be given antibiotics and a dose of the whooping cough vaccine to stop them becoming infected.
There are three routine vaccinations that can protect babies and children from whooping cough:
These vaccines don’t offer lifelong protection from whooping cough, but they can help stop children getting it when they’re young and more vulnerable to the effects of the infection.
Older children and adults aren’t routinely vaccinated, except during pregnancy or a whooping cough outbreak.
Babies and young children under six months are usually most severely affected by whooping cough.
They’re at an increased risk of:
Older children and adults tend to be less severely affected, although they may experience problems caused by repeated coughing, such as nosebleeds, bruised ribs or a hernia.
Last updated:
23 June 2023