Whooping Cough

Pertussis or whooping cough has been increasing in recent years. Learn how to recognize and protect your child against this vaccine preventable illness.

Since pertussis and pertussis outbreaks are not uncommon, even though it is a vaccine preventable infection, it is important to recognize pertussis symptoms in case your child gets sick.

Read about Boostrix or Tdap, a new vaccine to protect older children and teens against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis or whooping cough.

Learn more about the California pertussis outbreak, including which kids are at risk and how you can help your kids avoid pertussis or whooping cough with a pertussis vaccine.

Unfortunately, unlike polio and measles, which have been eradicated in the United States, babies can still get whooping cough or pertussis, leading to a chronic cough, coughing spells, or the classic whooping cough sound.

With the wide availability of whooping cough vaccines, many parents likely wonder why this vaccine preventable infection is still such a problem. Make sure your kids and their contacts are fully vaccinated with a whooping cough vaccine, including teens and adults, to decrease their chance of getting whooping cough.

Although parents should suspect whooping cough in any child or adult with whooping cough symptoms, they should be especially on the alert if they live in an area with high numbers of cases and/or if their kids are not fully protected with a set of whooping cough vaccines.

Whoping cough is a common misspelling for whooping cough.