Whooping cough is a highly infectious illness which is most common and most serious in young children. It can be quite debilitating and the complication rate is high. We strongly recommend that you have your child immunised against whooping cough.
Cause
Whooping cough is caused by a germ (bacterium) called Bordatella pertussis. It is passed on through close personal contact, as well as through sneezing and coughing.
The incubation period of whooping cough is between 1-2 weeks. A child can remain infectious for up to a month after the onset of the cough. The entire illness can sometimes last for up to 2 months. Initially your child may just have the symptoms of a heavy cold for a week, such as watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing and mild fever. The cough develops gradually, starting at night, but becoming worse in the daytime. The bouts of coughing worsen over the following 2 weeks, increasing both in their severity and frequency.
These coughing bouts are usually exhausting, as the child ‘barks’ several times on breathing out, then gasps for a deep breath, which is sometimes accompanied by the characteristic ‘whooping’ sound. The child’s face turns red and he often vomits at the end of a coughing bout. In between these episodes the child is usually comfortable. This stage of the illness can last for several weeks before improvement is seen. The cough itself may be present for months.
Pneumonia, or infection of the lungs, is the commonest complication of whooping cough. This requires treatment with antibiotics. Middle ear infection (otitis media) is another common complication also requiring antibiotic treatment. Small nosebleeds, or haemorrhages inside the eye can sometimes occur due to forceful coughing. If there is significant loss of appetite and persistent vomiting with the coughing bouts, there is a risk of weight loss and dehydration.
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