Whooping cough is caused by bacteria. It is also known as the ‘100-day cough’, because the coughing can persist for months. Whooping cough can make small babies very ill. They may need to go to hospital. Very occasionally, a baby may even die from whooping cough.
Factsheet on whooping cough
| How the bacteria are transmitted | From coughing or sneezing |
|---|---|
| Common symptoms | Mild fever, coughing |
| Serious symptoms | Ear infection, pneumonia, shortness of breath, may completely stop breathing |
| Which vaccinations protect against this disease? | DTaP-IPV - Hib - HBV vaccination, DTaP-IPV vaccination, maternal whooping cough vaccination |
If you have whooping cough and you sneeze or cough, tiny droplets containing the bacteria are expelled into the air. If other people inhale the droplets, they could become infected.
Babies are often infected by their parents, brothers or sisters. If a pregnant person gets whooping cough around the time of delivery, she may infect the baby after birth. If the mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy (the 22-week vaccination), the baby is not yet protected against whooping cough. That means that the baby can easily become ill. Very occasionally, a baby may even die from whooping cough.
Since 1996, there has been an increase in whooping cough cases again, among children and adults. This may be because of a change in the structure of the bacteria. As a result, even if you have been vaccinated, you can still become infected.
Protection against whooping cough
A series of vaccinations can protect your child against whooping cough. Read more about the vaccinations against whooping cough below, or read how vaccination works. During pregnancy, you can also get vaccinated against whooping cough: the maternal whooping cough vaccination or 22-week vaccination. This helps mothers protect themselves and their baby against whooping cough.