Sometimes called whooping cough, may be a mild or a serious disease. It is very easily passed from one person to another.
Pertussis can cause spells of coughing and choking that make it hard to eat, drink, or breathe.
The coughing can last for several weeks. As many as 16 out of 100 babies will get pneumonia, and as many as 2 out of 100 will have convulsions. About 1 out of 200 babies have had brain problems that may last all his or her life. About 1 out of every 200 babies with pertussis dies of it. It can make a person unable to breathe, cause paralysis, or heart failure.