Whooping cough
On this page
Symptoms
Anyone can get whooping cough, from young children to older adults. It's important to seek the right treatment if you have the infection to help you get back to better health.
What are the signs & symptoms of whooping cough?
The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to the ones you experience with a common cold, including:
- A runny nose
- Red and watery eyes
- A sore throat
- A slightly raised temperature (uncommon symptom)
Intense coughing starts around a week after the first signs and symptoms begin to show.
To check if you or your child has whooping cough, rather than an everyday cough, look out for the following:
- Intense, uncontrollable coughing that's particularly bad during the night and lasts for a few minutes
- Coughing that brings up a thick mucus, which can lead to vomiting
- A 'whoop' sound when gasping for breaths between coughs, not everyone will experience this
- Difficulty breathing after coughing which can turn you blue or grey (known as cyanosis). If this happens to your child, try not to panic, this often looks a lot worse than it is and your child's breathing should start again quickly
- Your face becomes red after coughing. However, this is most common in adults
The cough can persist for several weeks or months before it stops completely. The intensity of your cough should eventually become less severe and less frequent.
How serious is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is a serious infection that can lead to several different complications for those affected if left untreated. For older children and adults, there are fewer complications associated with severe coughing, including nose bleeds, bruised ribs, middle ear infections, urinary incontinence (unintentional passing of urine) or a hernia.
It can pose an even greater risk to babies and young children under six months as it can increase their risk of the following complications:
- Dehydration
- Weight loss
- Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs)
- Fits (seizures)
- Kidney problems
- Brain damage caused by lack of oxygen reaching the brain
When to see a GP, call 111 or go to A&E about whooping cough
As whooping cough is contagious, your GP may wish to talk to you over the phone rather than via an in-person appointment. So, it's recommended that you call your GP first.
There are certain circumstances where it's necessary to get help from NHS 111, or make an urgent appointment with your GP if you (or your child) have whooping cough, including:
- If your baby is under six months old and has symptoms of whooping cough
- If you have a very bad cough that's getting worse
- If you've had a persistent cough that's lasted for longer than three weeks
- If you're pregnant and have been in contact with someone who has whooping cough
- If you have a weakened immune system and have been in contact with someone who has whooping cough
- Your lips, tongue, face or skin suddenly turn blue or grey, On black or brown skin this is easier to see on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
- You're finding it hard to breathe properly (known as shallow breathing)
- You have chest pain that worsens when you breathe or cough, this could signify that you have developed signs of serious complications, like pneumonia
- Your child is having seizures (fits)
In more severe cases of whooping cough, you may need to take yourself or your child to A&E if you notice:
Is whooping cough contagious?
Yes, someone infected with whooping cough will become contagious from around 6 days after the cold-like symptoms start, to 3 weeks after the coughing starts. It's possible to reduce the time you're contagious. However, this does mean seeking treatment at the right time.
If you suspect you or your child has whooping cough, speak to your GP. They may prescribe you some antibiotics if they feel it's necessary (we'll talk more about treatment later). If you start taking the antibiotics within three weeks of your cough starting, you'll reduce the time you're contagious.
To minimise the risk of infecting those around you, if you have whooping cough you should also stay off nursery, school or work until:
- 48 hours after starting antibiotics
- Three weeks after your symptoms started, if you've not had antibiotics
You should also cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose of the tissue straight away. Don't forget to also wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water in between.
Treatments & management
There are two factors that will help determine the type of treatment you need for whooping cough: your age and the length of time you've had the infection.
If you have symptoms of whooping cough and can get an early diagnosis from your GP within the first three weeks of having the infection, you'll likely be prescribed antibiotics to take at home. Antibiotics won't necessarily reduce the severity of your symptoms but will help stop the infection from spreading to other people.
When taking antibiotics, always follow the advice of your GP or pharmacy team. Keep taking the antibiotics until you have completed the course, even if you start to feel better before the course ends. Not completing your full course can lead to the infection returning in the future.
Antibiotics are also unlikely to help if you've had whooping cough for more than three weeks as you'll no longer be contagious, which is why early diagnosis is important.
If you have severe whooping cough, or your child is under 6 months old and has whooping cough, hospital treatment is usually needed. Try to remain calm in these instances. A hospital is the best place to get the treatment you or your child needs to get better,
Whooping cough can be very serious in babies, so it's important that you get vaccinated against whooping cough whilst pregnant to help protect your little one once they're born.
Around 20 weeks pregnant, you will be offered a whooping cough vaccination. You can get vaccinated from 16 weeks pregnant, and although you should have the vaccination before 32 weeks, you can still have the vaccination later if you miss out. This includes after giving birth, however, this isn't recommended because it gives your baby less protection.
Getting vaccinated whilst pregnant will help protect them against whooping cough until they're old enough to get their whooping cough vaccine at 8 weeks old.
How to relieve whooping cough
As well as seeking treatment from your GP, there are also some steps you can follow at home to help you ease your symptoms, including:
- Drinking plenty of fluids. Take a look at our tips to help you drink more water
- Don't take cough medicines as they aren't suitable treatment for this type of cough
- Getting plenty of rest
- If you have a fever, take paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you're looking after a child under 16 who has whooping cough, avoid giving them paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time. Check with your GP or pharmacist first
To help protect your child from whooping cough, there are three routine vaccinations the NHS offers. These are:
- The whooping cough vaccine, which is offered in pregnancy (ideally between 16 and 32 weeks) to protect babies during their first few weeks of life
- 6-in-1 vaccine for babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age
- 4-in-1 preschool booster - for children of 3 and 4 months
The complications of whooping cough are more severe for babies and young children and although the above vaccines can't offer lifelong protection from the infection, they can prevent children from getting it.
Understandably, experiencing whooping cough can cause distress but with the right treatment, the infection should eventually clear.
Looking after your little ones
Frequently asked questions
The whooping cough vaccination is given as part of the NHS' routine childhood vaccinations. Normally, babies aged 8, 12 and 16 weeks get vaccinated, and then have a booster before they start school, when they're 3 years and 4 months old.
There's another whooping cough vaccination that's given to someone that's pregnant. This is normally given at around 20 weeks pregnant, and this is to help protect the baby against whooping cough when they're born.
Whooping cough isn't normally as serious in adults as it is in young children. However, the coughing could cause problems like sore ribs, hernias, middle ear infections and urine leaks when you cough (also known as urinary incontinence).
Whooping cough's three stages are called catarrhal, paroxysmal, and convalescent:
- The first stage (catarrhal) has cold-like symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat, but normally not a high temperature
- The second stage (paroxysmal) is when you start having intense coughing bouts, which can last for a few minutes. When you gasp for air during these coughing episodes, you may make a 'whoop' noise. The coughing also gets worst at night
- The third stage (convalescent) starts around four weeks after your first get poorly. The coughing episodes are less frequent and severe, and over time you'll start to feel better
During the coughing episodes, you gasp for breath between coughs, which sounds a bit like a 'whoop' noise. This is where it gets the name 'whooping cough.'
The 'whoop' noise is typically more noticeable in young children than adults during the coughing episodes.
