Can you catch whooping cough

Causes and Transmission. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Related Pages. Related Links. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Now whooping cough primarily affects children too young to have completed the full course of vaccinations and teenagers and adults whose immunity has faded.

Deaths associated with whooping cough are rare but most commonly occur in infants. That's why it's so important for pregnant women — and other people who will have close contact with an infant — to be vaccinated against whooping cough. Once you become infected with whooping cough, it takes about seven to 10 days for signs and symptoms to appear, though it can sometimes take longer. They're usually mild at first and resemble those of a common cold:. After a week or two, signs and symptoms worsen.

Thick mucus accumulates inside your airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. Severe and prolonged coughing attacks may:. However, many people don't develop the characteristic whoop. Sometimes, a persistent hacking cough is the only sign that an adolescent or adult has whooping cough. Infants may not cough at all. Instead, they may struggle to breathe, or they may even temporarily stop breathing.

Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who happens to be nearby. If you or your child develops a cold that includes a very bad cough or a cough that lasts a long time, it may be pertussis.

The best way to know is to contact your doctor. Whooping cough can be deadly for babies. Learn how to protect them through vaccination. See this infographic. A: Babies are at greatest risk for getting pertussis and then having serious complications from it, including death.

About half of babies younger than 1 year old who get pertussis need care in the hospital, and 1 out of babies who get treatment in the hospital die. First, vaccinate pregnant women with Tdap between 27 and 36 weeks of each pregnancy , preferably during the earlier part of this time period. Second, make sure everyone around the baby is up to date with their pertussis vaccines. This includes parents, siblings, grandparents including those 65 years and older , other family members, and babysitters, among others.

Learn more about pertussis complications in babies. A: When enough of a population is immune to an infectious disease, through vaccination or prior illness, its spread from person to person is unlikely. Even people not vaccinated such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses typically have protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within their community.

Public health experts cannot rely on herd immunity to protect people from pertussis since:. Vaccines are the most effective tool doctors have to provide protection against pertussis. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Pertussis Whooping Cough. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Pertussis Frequently Asked Questions. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Can vaccines prevent pertussis? Do pertussis vaccines protect for a lifetime? Do pertussis vaccines protect from serious disease?

If I've had whooping cough, do I still need a pertussis booster? The reason for this is that adults have built up immunity from previous infections and vaccinations. Bacteria called Bordetella pertussis cause whooping cough. These bacteria spread through the air when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes. Symptoms usually develop 5 to 10 days after exposure, but some people might not develop symptoms for several weeks.

Stage 1 : People are highly contagious in the early stages of the disease. At first, whooping cough causes mild cold-like symptoms that last for 1 to 2 weeks, such as:. Stage 2 : After some time, people can develop a severe, persistent cough that leaves them gasping for air. People are still contagious at this point, and stage 2 symptoms may last anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks.

Stage 3 : In the final phase, the cough gradually improves, and coughing fits occur less often. At this point, people are no longer contagious, but they run the risk of developing other infections, which can slow down the recovery process. Doctors might sometimes misdiagnose whooping cough as a common cold or another respiratory infection because whooping cough in adults does not typically cause severe symptoms. If an adult is experiencing a persistent cough, the doctor may recommend further medical tests to diagnose the problem.

These tests might include a nasopharyngeal swab, which involves a doctor collecting a sample of mucus through the nose to analyze for B. Adults can develop secondary complications from whooping cough. Violent coughing fits can cause fainting or fractured ribs. Treatment depends on the duration of the illness and the severity of its symptoms.

Whooping cough treatment usually involves antibiotic therapy. Early antibiotic treatment may reduce symptom severity, speed up recovery time, and prevent people from transmitting the bacteria. A healthcare professional might prescribe antibiotics for other members of the household as well.