Whooping cough is a serious illness, particularly so for infants and young children. If it is not dealt with promptly, it can lead to severe complications, such as pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, or death. With that being said, most children receive four doses of the whooping cough vaccine (DTaP) by the time they are 15 to 18 months old. The DTaP vaccine significantly reduces the risk of experiencing severe complications to whooping cough. As such, it is important to make sure your child is up to date with their whooping cough vaccines! If your child has not received the DTaP vaccine and is showing signs of whooping cough, make sure you bring them to see a pediatrician as soon as possible for effective treatment.