Whooping cough (Pertussis)

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is an illness that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria make it hard to clear out mucus and saliva. 

Whooping cough is highly contagious and most harmful to infants and children. Most children get whooping cough from adults and not from other children. Children can suffer complications such as pneumonia and in rare cases, can die from whooping cough, especially children younger than 1 year old.

Symptoms usually occur in 2 stages: The first stage begins like a cold, with a runny nose, sneezing, and a low-grade fever. The second stage includes uncontrolled coughing spells. The second stage can last 6–10 weeks. It is very contagious during the first weeks  of the illness and becomes less contagious by the end of 3 weeks. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks, which creates small droplets that contain the bacteria. Other people can become infected if they breathe in those droplets. Whooping cough can also spread when someone comes into contact with infected droplets on items such as clothes, utensils, or furniture that then enter the body when a person touches their eyes, nose, or mouth after they touch one of these contaminated items. When someone who has whooping cough takes antibiotics, the antibiotics can make it so the person is contagious for a shorter period of time. The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated.