Babies younger than 1 year old are most at risk for serious complications from whooping cough, a highly contagious but preventable bacterial disease that attacks the lungs and respiratory system.
You may have heard bits and pieces about whooping cough outbreaks in the United States over the years. Now that you’re a parent, however, whooping cough worries may seem closer to home.
Here’s what you need to know to best protect your little one.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a disease that has been known to mankind for centuries. It causes violent rapid coughing and a signature "whoop" sound when someone gasps for breath.
The intense coughing scatters the pertussis bacteria into the air, spreading the disease to other susceptible people. It can also be spread by asymptomatic people or those with mild symptoms who come in close contact with others.
Whooping cough usually lasts four to six weeks in younger children. It frequently goes undiagnosed in adults because they do not usually have a "whoop" — making whooping cough very easy to give unknowingly to others. Even the most careful parents — along with older siblings, grandparents, babysitters and other caregivers — can unintentionally pass the disease on to the vulnerable babies they care for.
About half of babies who get whooping cough have to be hospitalized, and about 1 in 4 get pneumonia (serious stuff for little lungs, and even potentially life-threatening), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fortunately, safe and effective whooping cough vaccines can offer both you and your baby vital protection against this disease.
Whooping cough symptoms
Experts say whooping cough symptoms typically appear in three stages:
Stage 1
It can be difficult to recognize early signs of whooping cough as it starts out like the common cold. At the onset, common symptoms include:
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- A runny nose
- Sneezing
- Low-grade fever
- Mild occasional cough lasting a week to 10 days, although some babies with whooping cough may not cough at all
- Pauses in breathing, which can happen with or without coughing
- Gagging
- Gasping
- Watery eyes
Stage 2
The second stage is when the cough becomes more severe, lasting one to six weeks. There are dry coughing fits that can be followed by a high-pitched "whoop" — meaning the person is trying to catch their breath.
Sometimes, it can lead to vomiting, trouble breathing and even a cracked rib. In babies at this stage, secondary pneumonia often occurs because the whooping cough makes them more vulnerable.
Stage 3
The last stage encompasses the weeks to months of recovery. Whooping cough takes a long time to recover from, especially for babies with tiny lungs. Babies recovering from whooping cough are immunocompromised and have a limited ability to fight infections and other diseases.
How is whooping cough diagnosed?
It can be difficult for doctors to diagnose whooping cough simply by listening to a cough. Whenever possible, they use nasal swab testing to confirm a whooping cough diagnosis.
If the doctor suspects that your baby has whooping cough, he or she will likely recommend an antibiotic to fight the infection right away.
Whooping cough treatment
Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics for about 10 days. Although antibiotics can stop the spread of the whooping cough infection, they cannot prevent or treat the cough itself.
- If given in an early stage, antibiotics can help relieve symptoms of whooping cough and prevent the spread to others.
- If given in a later stage, antibiotics may not shorten the course of the illness. They will still prevent the spread to others.
Most teens and adults usually recover from whooping cough without any problem, but about half of babies under 1 who get whooping cough require treatment in the hospital. Most of these babies suffer from slowed or stopped breathing, or pneumonia. Hospitalized children may need to be put on oxygen and given IV fluids to avoid dehydration.
Over-the-counter cough medicines cannot treat or relieve coughing spells from whooping cough. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cautions to never give OTC cold and cough medicines to children under 4 years of age because of potential serious side effects.
How to protect your baby from whooping cough
To protect your little one and the rest of your family from this illness, here's what you can do:
Get your baby immunized with the DTaP vaccine
This is the absolute best way to protect against whooping cough in infants 2 months and older. The DTaP vaccine protects against diphtheria (a bacterial infection that causes breathing problems, among other things), tetanus (a bacterial infection that can enter the body through wounds) and pertussis (whooping cough).
The DTaP vaccination is actually a series of five shots, given when your baby is 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years old. It takes at least three shots until your child builds up enough immunity against whooping cough — but make sure your child gets all five doses in the series to have protection.
Make sure you're up to date on your own vaccinations
You probably received the DTaP vaccine series in childhood to protect you from whooping cough, but it’s important to know that immunity fades five to 10 years after your last vaccination. That's why it is so important that any teens and adults who are planning to be around your baby receive a pertussis booster vaccine known as Tdap (the adult version of DTaP).
If you got the Tdap vaccine while pregnant — which the CDC recommends between weeks 27 to 36 of each pregnancy — your baby was born with some protection. But because your little one won’t be fully protected from whooping cough until after at least three shots of DTaP, it’s important you and anyone else who's in close contact with your child has been vaccinated against whooping cough.
If you haven’t gotten your Tdap shot yet, schedule one right away — and tell everyone around you and your baby to do the same. (Like other vaccines, Tdap is safe to receive even if you're breastfeeding.)
Steer clear of anyone who is sick
Your newborn’s immune system is vulnerable to all sorts of germs. Don’t hesitate to ask any well-meaning but feeling-under-the-weather friends or relatives to postpone visits to your house until they’re completely recovered.
Practice good hygiene
Like many other respiratory illnesses, whooping cough spreads by coughing and sneezing in close contact with others who then breathe in the bacteria. To practice good hygiene, always do the following:
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and put your used tissue in the wastebasket. If you can't grab a tissue in time, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
- Immediately wash your hands with soap and water after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Know when to call the doctor if you suspect whooping cough
Call your doctor right away if your baby has any of the above symptoms of whooping cough. Head to straight to the ER if you notice any of these signs:
- Fever (with a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) if your baby is younger than 3 months of age
- Fever that rises above 104 degrees Fahrenheit repeatedly for a child of any age
- Symptoms of dehydration (fewer than one wet diaper every six hours)
- Gray- or blue-tinged tongue, lips or skin
- Pauses in breathing or difficulty breathing
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