Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection that causes severe coughing spells. The coughing spells sometimes end with a "whoop" sound when the child breathes in. The child usually feels well between coughing spells. The cough becomes milder over time, but it can last for a few months. Pertussis is very contagious. Starting antibiotic treatment very early in the illness can make it less severe and help prevent the spread to others.

• Follow your health care provider's recommendations for:
  • giving your child antibiotics
  • giving people in the household antibiotics to prevent infection 
• Don't give cough medicines. They don't help kids with whooping cough and may make it harder to cough out mucus from the airway.
• Give your child plenty of liquids to drink.
• If your child is throwing up or has trouble eating and drinking, offer small, frequent meals and sips of liquids.
• To help with the cough:
  • Try using a cool-mist humidifier. Clean the humidifier every day to prevent mold growth.
  • Keep your home free of things that can trigger coughing spells, such as aerosol sprays; tobacco smoke; and smoke from cooking, fireplaces, and wood-burning stoves.
• To prevent the spread of whooping cough:
  • Consider wearing a mask when caring for your child.
  • Keep your child at home until your health care provider says it's OK.
  • Be sure your child and other people in the household take the antibiotics exactly as prescribed.
  • Limit the number of people who care for your child until your child has taken the antibiotic for 5 days.
  • Make sure your family's pertussis vaccinations are up to date.
  • Tell anyone who was around your child in the week before or after the cough started to see their health care provider for possible treatment with antibiotics.
• Try to prevent another infection while your child recovers, especially if they're under 6 months old. It can help to:
  • Limit visitors, especially anyone who has been sick recently.
  • Have all visitors wear a mask.
  • Have all family members wash their hands well and often.
  • Keep your child out of large crowds.

Your child:

• has a worsening cough
• has trouble eating or drinking or seems to be getting dehydrated (signs include a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, crying with few or no tears, or peeing less often or having fewer wet diapers)
• gets new symptoms such as fever or ear pain
• has a severe headache or is very fussy

Your child:

• has trouble breathing or seems to have brief periods of not breathing
• is pale or bluish around the mouth or fingernails
• has a seizure

What causes whooping cough? Whooping (HOO-ping) cough is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria (a type of germ). It mainly happens in babies younger than 6 months old who aren't yet fully protected by immunizations, and in kids 11–18 years old whose immunity from their immunizations has started to fade.

What else can happen? Sometimes kids with whooping cough throw up at the end of a coughing spell. They may also cough so hard that red spots from broken blood vessels happen in one or both eyes. Babies typically get sicker than older kids and may need to be in the hospital while they recover.