Whooping cough in toddlers

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection. It affects your child's windpipe and the two airways that connect his windpipe to his lungs (NHS Choices 2010).

The name of the infection comes from the whooping sound that children make as they gasp for air between coughing fits (HPA 2012a, NHS Choices 2010). It can be very upsetting to hear your child cough in this way. Though whooping cough can cause complications, in most cases it sounds worse than it is.

What does whooping cough sound like?

The easiest way to understand what whooping cough sounds like is to listen to it. You can do that here:


(Won't play? Click here.)

What are the other symptoms of whooping cough?

Whooping cough starts with symptoms similar to a cold or flu, such as sneezing, a runny nose, and a mild fever (NHS Choices 2010, PRODIGY 2010) of between 37.5 degrees C and 39 degrees C.

Your child may then develop a dry cough (PRODIGY 2010). These early phases tend to last up to two weeks before more severe coughing bouts begin (HPA 2012a, NHS Choices 2010, PRODIGY 2010).

If your child has whooping cough, he will cough, non-stop, for about 30 seconds, and then struggle to breathe, before the next coughing bout starts. He may cough up thick mucus, or watery secretions, with each bout (PRODIGY 2010).

Your child may have up to 30 coughing bouts in 24 hours, with more of these happening during the night (PRODIGY 2010). Between coughing bouts, your child may seem fairly well and be able to get some sleep (PRODIGY 2010). However, he may vomit after coughing (NHS Choices 2010, PRODIGY 2010).

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Seeing your child coping with whooping cough can be distressing. He may gag, gasp, and stop breathing temporarily after coughing bouts. You may even notice that his lips and nails turn a bluish colour as he struggles for breath (NHS Choices 2010). Rest assured that this usually looks worse than it is. Your child should quickly start to breathe normally (NHS Choices 2010).

The phase of coughing bouts is likely to last for about three weeks, even with treatment. That's because the cough continues for a while after the bacteria have been cleared (NHS Choices 2010).

Will whooping cough harm my child?

Whooping cough can be serious for young children, as they may develop complications, including pneumonia, dehydration, breathing difficulties, low blood pressure, or kidney failure (NHS Choices 2010). There's even a possibility that a child could have convulsions, leading to brain damage (NHS Choices 2010).

If you think your toddler may have whooping cough, take him to the doctor straight away. If he has trouble breathing, call 000, or take him to the nearest hospital emergency department. Also take him to the hospital if he has persistent vomiting, seizures, or is dehydrated.

How will my toddler's whooping cough be treated?

Your doctor may swab your child's nose, or take a blood sample, to test for the pertussis bacteria (NHS Choices 2010). However, if your doctor suspects that your toddler has whooping cough, she will prescribe him antibiotics immediately, and won't wait for test results.

The earlier your child has antibiotics, the sooner he'll start to recover. If given later, antibiotics may not shorten the course of the illness, but they will help to prevent it from spreading further. Antibiotics remove the bacteria from your child's mucus, which he could spread by coughing.

Beyond that, you can't do much more than wait for the cough to run its course. This waiting may seem to go on forever, as it is likely to take more than three weeks for the cough to clear (NHS Choices 2010). Whooping cough is sometimes called 'the one hundred day cough' as it usually lasts up to three months, especially in unvaccinated children.

What can I do to ease the symptoms of whooping cough?

Upsetting as it is to hear, bear in mind that coughing is what your child's body does naturally to clear his lungs of mucus. So there's no need to give your child cough remedies. If your child's cough gets worse, though, even if he's having antibiotics, call your doctor immediately.

Help your child to recover by giving him plenty of fluids and helping him to rest. Infant paracetamol at the correct dosage for your toddler's age may also give him some relief from discomfort (PRODIGY 2010).

How did my toddler get whooping cough?

Whooping cough spreads easily because the bacteria can be carried in droplets of moisture in the air. Your child could get it from direct contact with someone who's infected, or by simply breathing air infected with the bacteria.

Most children receive vaccinations against whooping cough (pertussis) when they are two months, four months and six months old. Whooping cough boosters are offered when your child is 18 months old, four years old and between 10 and 15 years old.

Your child's protection against the disease increases with each shot she receives, so her risk of getting it will be at its lowest after she receives the fifth shot of the series, at four years old. Even then she has a small chance of coming down with whooping cough, because the vaccine isn't 100 percent effective.

Unfortunately, it's possible for someone who's had whooping cough to get it again, although any later infection is usually much milder than the first. It is recommended that if your baby has whooping cough before she has had the full course of vaccinations, she continues the course of vaccinations.

Because babies are at risk of catching the disease before they get the full three doses of the vaccine, the government recommends that parents of newborns, grandparents and close caregivers are all vaccinated. Check with your doctor as some states and territories are offering the vaccine free for parents of newborns.

How common is whooping cough?

Whooping cough is the least well-controlled of all the vaccine-preventable diseases in Australia. There is an epidemic of whooping cough every three or four years mostly caused by adults whose immunity has reduced over time (CA. 2013).

The highest risk of infection and death from whooping cough is amongst infants who have not had two doses of the vaccine as yet. One study suggests that more than 50 per cent of infections amongst infants have come from their parents.(CA. 2013) This is why it is recommended that parents and any other person who has close contact with a newborn makes sure their whooping cough vaccine is up-to-date.

How can I protect my toddler from whooping cough?

The best way to protect your child is to make sure he is up to date with his immunisations.

The DTPa part of the childhood immunisation program protects against whooping cough, as well as the serious diseases, diphtheria and tetanus. The immunisations are offered at two, four and six months and are completed by the booster vaccinations when your child is 18 months and four years old (CA. 2013).

Apart from having your child immunised, the best you can do is to keep an eye on his symptoms. The early stages of whooping cough are like many other less severe illnesses.

After having whooping cough, is my child immune to the disease?

Unfortunately not, though any later infection is usually much milder than the first (HPA 2012a). Because your child is still susceptible to the illness, make sure that he finishes the series of immunisations.