Whooping Cough

Babies younger than 1 year old are at greatest risk of getting whooping cough and having severe complications.²

By breathing in droplets spread by the coughs and sneezes of people infected with the bacteria that cause whooping cough.²

Cases of whooping cough can occur all over the world (see map).¹

Symptoms start with a runny nose, sore throat and rarely fever. After a week or so, bouts of uncontrollable coughing lasting several minutes can occur. Coughing may be severe enough to cause vomiting. Sometimes people find it difficult to breathe between coughing bouts and their gasping for breath causes the characteristic “whooping” noise. It can take a few months before the coughing stops.³

Babies under 12 months are particularly at risk of complications such as dehydration, breathing difficulties, pneumonia and fits. Emergency treatment may be required.³

You can take the following precautions to help reduce your risk of infection:

• Visit your GP, the nearest convenient pharmacy or specialist travel health clinic for more information.
• Practice good hygiene to prevent the spread of bacteria.²
• Pregnant women are advised to have the whooping cough vaccine. This protects babies during their first weeks of life.³