What should you know about chronic whooping cough?

Whooping cough, or pertussis, often begins like a mild cold before forceful coughing bouts develop. A whoop may follow a breath in, but adults and vaccinated people may not make that sound. Coughing can cause vomiting, exhaustion or poor sleep, and it may continue after the infection becomes less active.

A clinician considers the cough pattern, exposure history and vaccination status. Other infections can also cause a prolonged cough, so diagnosis should not rely on the sound alone.

Contact a clinician promptly if coughing comes in repeated bouts, follows contact with whooping cough, or affects breathing or feeding. Ask whether Antibiotic Treatment (/treatments/medical-management/antibiotic-treatment/) is appropriate; it may reduce spread when started at the right time but may not immediately stop an established cough.

Cover coughs, wash hands and avoid close contact with babies and other vulnerable people until advised. Check whether household members need medical advice or vaccination review.

Seek emergency help for pauses in breathing, blue lips, severe breathing difficulty, collapse, dehydration or inability to keep fluids down. A baby with repeated coughing, poor feeding, unusual sleepiness or breathing changes needs urgent assessment. Fever (/symptoms/fever/) with a worsening cough warrants medical advice.

Ask whether testing is useful now, how long to avoid close contact, whether contacts need preventive treatment, and whether Childhood Immunisation (/treatments/preventive-care-and-vaccination/childhood-immunisation/) records are up to date.