Whooping cough gets its name from the whooping sound the child makes when trying to draw breath after a coughing spell. Symptoms generally include those of a cold, such as runny nose and a cough that gradually worsens. Violent coughing spells frequently end with vomiting. Once the whooping stage begins, antibiotics are of no use.
Pertussis is spread from person to person through the air.
A person who is not immune to pertussis becomes infected by inhaling air that has been contaminated with the respiratory secretions of an infected person who has coughed. Before vaccines and antibiotics were developed, pertussis was a common cause of death in young children. Today, it is vaccine preventable. All children attending a child care facility should be up to date on vaccinations. Exclude the infected person from the facility until that person has been on antibiotics for at least 5 days or for 4 weeks after onset of intense coughing.