Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a bacterial infection that gets into your nose and throat. It spreads very easily, but vaccines like DTaP and Tdap can help prevent it in children and adults. Symptoms. read more
Whooping Cough: What Happens. If a person with whooping cough sneezes, laughs, or coughs, small droplets that contain the bacteria may fly through the air. You might get sick when you breathe the droplets. When the bacteria get into your airways, they attach to the tiny hairs in the linings of the lungs. read more
Pertussis (whooping cough) can cause serious illness in babies, children, teens, and adults. Symptoms of pertussis usually develop within 5 to 10 days after you are exposed. Sometimes pertussis symptoms do not develop for as long as 3 weeks. read more
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it's marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop." Before the vaccine was developed, whooping cough was considered a childhood disease. read more