HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini

Whooping cough (pertussis)

Mare motu (Bordetella pertussis)

Whooping cough is a highly infectious disease caused by the germ (bacteria) Bordetella pertussis. It is easily passed on through coughing and sneezing. You can pass it on for 3 to 4 weeks from when you start coughing.

Whooping cough can affect people of any age. But young pēpi (babies) and tamariki (children) are more likely to have severe symptoms and develop complications.

There is a vaccine to protect against whooping cough, which tamariki get as part of the childhood vaccination programme. The vaccine is also recommended for pregnant women and others who will be in contact with newborn pēpi.

Symptoms of whooping cough

In the first few days you will have cold-like symptoms before developing a cough. You may have severe coughing bouts. During these, you may become breathless, red in the face, may sound as if you are choking and possibly vomit.

Sometimes you whoop as you breathe in after coughing.

Small pēpi do not usually whoop but may go blue or vomit with bouts of coughing.

The cough may last for up to 3 months.

Diagnosing whooping cough

If you think you or your tamaiti has whooping cough, see your general practice team as soon as possible.

A nose swab may be used to confirm whooping cough. Sometimes a blood test is also used.

Treating whooping cough

If they are started early, antibiotics may make the illness less severe. But they do not make a difference to the cough once it has started.

Antibiotics are mainly used to reduce the length of time you or your tamaiti can pass the infection on to others. With antibiotics this will be 2 to 5 days instead of 3 to 4 weeks if untreated.

Cough medicines do not help with whooping cough.

Preventing the spread of whooping cough

Keep away from others, especially tamariki under 1 year old and women in the late stage of pregnancy.

Stay away from work, community gatherings and school or preschool until you or your tamaiti has been taking antibiotics for at least 2 to 5 days depending on which antibiotic you have been given. Your doctor will advise you on this.

If they have not taken antibiotics, the infected person should keep away from others for 21 days from when their cough started.

If someone is diagnosed with whooping cough in a household or preschool with a pēpi under 1 year old, members of the household or preschool may need antibiotics. The Public Health Service will arrange this when they are told of the case by a general practice team or hospital doctor.

If a person catches whooping cough in a household with a woman in the late stage of pregnancy, all people in the household should receive a course of antibiotics to prevent the disease spreading to the newborn pēpi.

Immunisation

Immunisation is the best way to protect you, your whānau and your pēpi from whooping cough.

During pregnancy, a booster vaccination will protect you. It will also protect your pēpi until they can have their vaccination when they are 6 weeks old.

Anyone, including whānau members who may be in contact with young pēpi should also have a vaccination.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• KidsHealth – Whooping cough in children

  Information about whooping cough, including a video of a pēpi with whooping cough.

Written by Partnership Health Canterbury. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2024.

Sources

Page reference: 43384

Review key: HIWHO-45653