Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

If you’re here reading about whooping cough, you may have been listening to a coughing child for some time and wondering what to do next.  You definitely should be concerned about pertussis, an infection of the lungs that can smolder for weeks in grownups if left untreated, and it can be fatal in babies. The first symptoms of whooping cough tend to be those of a common cold, including sneezing, a mild cough, or a low grade fever so it may be difficult to know for sure if a person has pertussis in the early stages. After about one to two weeks the cough evolves into awful, severe coughing spells. Fortunately whooping cough can be prevented by the DTaP vaccine.