Whooping cough , also known as pertussis, is a very contagious respiratory illness. Whooping cough may begin like a common cold, but unlike a cold, the coughing can last for weeks or months. Treating whooping cough early with antibiotics may make the infection less serious. Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Early whooping cough symptoms are a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever, a mild cough with the cough gradually becoming more severe. Whooping cough commonly affects infants and young children but can be prevented with vaccine immunization. Find out about whooping cough , including the symptoms, who's at risk, when to get medical advice, how it's treated and the whooping cough vaccine.
