Why do children get pertussis

If your child has whooping cough, they will be infectious just before the start of the cough until three weeks after the cough started. If your child is given antibiotics, they can still spread the infection until they have had five days of antibiotics. Because whooping cough is easily spread, often other family members or close contacts of the child with whooping cough will also have the infection.

Antibiotics may need to be given to anyone who has had very close contact with your child while your child was infectious, including women in the last month of pregnancy and babies less than six months old. The antibiotics will help protect them from getting whooping cough. Your GP can advise if this is necessary. If there is an outbreak of whooping cough and your child is not immunised, they will have to stay away from child care, kindergarten or school for three weeks, or until the outbreak settles.

I had whooping cough when I was younger. Do I still need to get an adult booster? If you are having contact with a baby under six months old, you should have an adult pertussis booster.

Past infection from whooping cough provides some protection from catching it again, but it is not life-long immunity. Is it possible for my child to catch whooping cough if they have been vaccinated? Sometimes, children can catch whooping cough even if they have been immunised. But the illness will be less serious and they often get better quicker. This means they are contagious for a shorter period of time, so are less likely to spread whooping cough to others. How can I tell? Children with croup can have a harsh barking cough, and make a squeaky, high-pitched noise called stridor when they breath in.

The cough is a normal cough, but occurs in long spells. When there is a break in coughing, the child makes a quick breath in, and this is what makes the 'whoop' sound. If you think your child might have whooping cough, take them to the GP.

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The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Whooping cough. Once the bacteria are in a child's airways, it causes swelling of the airways and mucus. A child is more at risk for whooping cough if they haven't had the vaccine, or if the protection is wearing off, and they are around someone with the illness.

Symptoms start about 1 to 3 weeks after contact with the bacteria. They occur in 3 stages. The second stage may last for 1 to 6 weeks, but it can last up to 10 weeks.

Symptoms include:. The child may also vomit with the coughing and seem to be strangling on the vomit. The cough often decreases around week 6, but it may continue now and then for the next 1 to 2 months. Symptoms can be a bit different for each child. In babies, the cough may be very hard to hear. Infants may have a pause in breathing apnea instead of a cough. If you notice this, call your child's healthcare provider or take your child to the hospital right away. These symptoms can be caused by other health conditions.

Make sure your child sees a healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Your child will also have a physical exam.

A sample of fluid from the nose or mucus from a cough may be tested for the bacteria. This is often done to confirm the diagnosis. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. In some cases, your child may to go to the hospital for treatment.

This is for supportive care and monitoring. Sometimes, your child may need oxygen and IV intravenous fluids until they start to recover. Your child may also take antibiotic medicine. Antibiotics work best if given early in the disease; later they may not make your child get better faster. Antibiotics do help to prevent the spread of infection to others. Anyone who has been in close contact with a child with whooping cough is often given antibiotic medicine.

This is the case even if someone has had the pertussis vaccine. The whooping cough vaccine is routinely given to children in the first year of life. But cases of the illness still occur, especially in babies younger than 6 months old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend children receive all vaccines according to the recommended vaccine schedule.

Birth - 6 years schedule. Viewing discretion is advised. This fact sheet answers general questions about the booster shot that protects preteens and teens. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Vaccines for Your Children. Section Navigation.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Vaccine Shot for Whooping Cough Pertussis. Minus Related Pages. Why should my child get a whooping cough shot? Helps protect your child from whooping cough, a potentially serious and even deadly disease, as well as diphtheria and tetanus.

Helps prevent your child from having violent coughing fits from whooping cough. Helps protect your newborn when she is most vulnerable to serious disease and complications. Keeps your child from missing school or childcare and you from missing work. Prepare for your child's vaccine visit and learn about how you can: Research vaccines and ready your child before the visit Comfort your child during the appointment Care for your child after the shot Before, During, and After Shots.

What is whooping cough? Whooping cough is a very serious respiratory in the lungs and breathing tubes infection.