What should you know about whooping cough noise?

The sound can follow a forceful burst of coughs, when the person tries to draw air back into their lungs. It is often more noticeable in children, while babies and adults may have a different pattern.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, can irritate the airways and trigger coughing fits. After several coughs in close succession, breathing in quickly may create the characteristic high-pitched whoop. People with whooping cough may also cough until they gag or vomit, feel exhausted after a spell, or develop a runny nose early on.

A cough can have many causes, so a whoop alone cannot identify the cause. The pattern matters: repeated coughing fits, contact with someone who has a prolonged cough, and symptoms in an infant all deserve prompt clinical attention.

Arrange a medical assessment if you or your child has coughing fits or a possible whooping sound. A clinician can assess the breathing pattern, consider testing, and advise whether antibiotic treatment is appropriate. Follow their advice about staying away from people who may become seriously unwell from infection, especially young babies.

Offer fluids in small, frequent amounts if coughing makes drinking difficult, and let the person rest between episodes. Keep a note of when the cough began, whether vomiting follows it, any fever, and any known close contact with whooping cough.

Seek urgent medical care for a baby with coughing, poor feeding, pauses in breathing, blue or grey lips or skin, marked sleepiness, or difficulty breathing. These signs need urgent assessment even when there is no whooping sound.

Get urgent help for any age if breathing is laboured, the person cannot recover between coughing fits, becomes confused, faints, or shows blue or grey colouring around the lips. A fever with worsening breathing or a person who is getting weaker also needs timely medical advice.

You could ask whether the cough pattern needs testing for whooping cough, whether treatment may help, how to protect household members, and what breathing or feeding changes should prompt urgent care. If this concerns a child, ask whether their routine immunisations are up to date.