Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the lungs and airways. In many individuals, it presents with a severe coughing fit following a gasping breath that resembles the sound of choking. Before the development of the whooping cough vaccine, this disease was a significant childhood infection.

Today, whooping cough mainly affects children and adolescents who have not completed all vaccination doses, as well as adults with weakened immune systems. Whooping cough spreads through cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person.

The main symptoms are severe cough and difficulty breathing. If diagnosed early, it can be treated with antibiotics. In advanced cases, antibiotics are ineffective, so supportive treatment is provided to manage symptoms.

What is Whooping Cough?

Whooping cough is an acute microbial disease of the upper respiratory tract. Symptoms develop when the bacteria known as Bordetella pertussis spreads throughout the body. If treatment is delayed, it can cause permanent damage and disability in various organs.

The illness leads to coughing fits that can last 2 to 3 months or longer and is particularly severe in infants and young children. Among every 100 infants who contract the disease, four may not survive.

How Does Whooping Cough Spread?

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets loaded with the bacteria are expelled into the air.

If someone nearby inhales these droplets, the bacteria can reach the airways and cause the disease. Close contact with an infected person, such as talking closely or kissing, can also lead to infection.

What Are the Symptoms of Whooping Cough?

The initial symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold and include a runny nose, red and watery eyes, sore throat, and a slight increase in body temperature. Intense coughing fits usually begin about a week after these initial symptoms. In its early stages, whooping cough is often mistaken for a common cold.

As a result, healthcare professionals may not suspect or diagnose whooping cough until more severe symptoms appear. Symptoms in the later stages may include:

  • Coughing fits: These usually start suddenly and can last for several minutes. They tend to be more common at night. Coughing often involves thick mucus and may be followed by vomiting.
  • Shortness of breath: Breathing difficulties may occur between coughing fits, sometimes accompanied by unusual sounds.
  • Characteristic sound during breathing: Whooping cough can cause repeated and intense coughing until there is little air left in the lungs. When this occurs, a forced inhalation to compensate for the lack of oxygen can produce a distinctive sound.
  • Cyanosis (blue discoloration of lips and nails): In young children, breathing difficulties may lead to a lack of oxygen, causing cyanosis.
  • Apnea (breath-holding spells): In very young infants, coughing may not be prominent, but brief periods of stopped breathing, known as apnea, can occur. This is a dangerous condition, and half of the infants under one year require hospitalization for this reason.
  • Redness of the face: Coughing can cause redness in the face due to pressure. Mild bleeding under the skin or in the eyes can also be seen.
  • Fatigue and weakness: Coughing fits can leave the patient extremely tired and weak.
  • Vomiting: Coughing fits may induce vomiting.
  • Diarrhea: In some patients, diarrhea may accompany the symptoms.

In adolescents and adults, especially those vaccinated, the infection usually presents with milder symptoms. The full recovery from whooping cough can be slow, with coughing gradually decreasing in intensity over time. However, the cough can return months later with other respiratory infections.

Whooping Cough in Infants

Whooping cough can cause repeated coughing fits lasting 2 to 3 months or longer, severely affecting infants and young children. In children under 18 months, whooping cough can stop breathing completely, making close monitoring crucial. Severely ill infants should be treated in the hospital. Infants under six months old are generally at higher risk of severe whooping cough. Risks include:

  • Dehydration: Severe fluid loss leading to dysfunction in the body.
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Weight loss
  • Pneumonia: Lung infection due to whooping cough.
  • Seizures
  • Kidney problems
  • Brain damage from lack of oxygen.

Older children and adults may experience issues such as nosebleeds, rib damage, or hernias due to severe and repetitive coughing, but they tend to be less affected than infants.

When to See a Doctor?

If prolonged coughing fits cause any of the following symptoms, it is necessary to consult a doctor:

  • Vomiting
  • Red or blue discoloration of the face and lips
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Noticeable pauses in breathing during inhalation
  • Raspy or hoarse breathing sounds

How is Whooping Cough Treated?

If whooping cough is diagnosed early, antibiotic treatment can help reduce coughing and other symptoms. Early treatment can also lower the risk of spreading the infection to others. Antibiotics are effective in controlling the disease within the first three weeks.

However, because diagnosis is often delayed in many individuals, antibiotic treatment may not be beneficial. Treatment for whooping cough varies depending on the patient’s age and the duration since the infection started. If symptoms began over three weeks ago, only supportive treatment is given. Rest, plenty of fluids, and fever-reducing medications are used to lower high body temperature.

Cough medicine is not effective for controlling the cough and may have serious side effects, especially in young children, making their use inappropriate.

How to Protect Against Whooping Cough?

The best way to protect against whooping cough is through vaccination. People in the following risk groups who have been in contact with an infected person may be advised to take antibiotics to prevent infection:

  • Pregnant women
  • Healthcare workers
  • Infants under 12 months old
  • Individuals with weakened immune systems
  • Those with respiratory conditions like asthma
  • People living with someone infected with whooping cough
  • Those living with someone at high risk of severe illness or complications from whooping cough

Whooping Cough Vaccine

whooping cough vaccine
whooping cough vaccine

Vaccination is the best way to protect infants and children from whooping cough. According to the routine vaccination schedule, the following doses are administered:

  • Whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy: The optimal time for vaccination is right after the 20th week of pregnancy. This vaccination can protect the baby from whooping cough in the first few weeks of life.
  • Five-in-one vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, inactivated polio, and H. influenza type b): This vaccine protects against five diseases, including whooping cough. It is administered to infants at two, four, six, and eighteen months following the vaccination schedule.
  • Four-in-one vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, and inactivated polio): This booster dose is recommended for children in the first grade.

Older children and adults are not routinely vaccinated outside of pregnancy or a whooping cough outbreak. Vaccination does not provide lifelong protection against whooping cough. However, vaccinating children can prevent them from contracting the disease during their vulnerable adolescent years or reduce the severity of symptoms if they do get infected.