Is it a cold or is it whooping cough?

Many parents struggle with this question. Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a constant concern for parents.

Parents have good reason for concern. Colds and pertussis begin with similar symptoms, so it’s hard to tell the difference at first. But whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that gets worse after a few weeks, while common colds improve. People develop uncontrollable coughing fits that make it hard to breathe. In rare cases, especially in young babies, it can be fatal.

The disease is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and is known as pertussis or “whooping cough” for the characteristic respiratory sound made by children who are infected with it.

Pertussis tends to cause epidemics that run in three- to four-year cycles, although it generally circulates to some degree throughout the year.

Dr. Weiss says there are two key ways parents can protect their families.

1. Get vaccinated — Although the vaccine is not 100 percent protective, it significantly lowers the risk of getting the disease. It also lessens the severity of illness if you get sick with whooping cough, and reduces the odds you could spread it to others.
2. Know the symptoms — Proper care with antibiotics may help lessen symptoms. Antibiotics also help contain the illness, making your child less contagious. That’s critical to controlling community outbreaks.

What to Know About the Vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine, DTaP, came out in 1997, and causes fewer side effects – notably, less fever – than the older version (DTP). The vaccine is the best protection out there for your family. However, its immune protection doesn’t last as long as the older version.

Scientists are studying the optimal schedule for the vaccine and boosters. Until the research is done, they recommend the vaccine for babies and toddlers, and a booster shot before adolescence.

To protect against pertussis, children should get five doses of DTaP vaccine: At 2, 4, and 6 months, another as a toddler (15-18 months), and another between ages of 4-6 years.

Around age 11 or12, children should get the booster shot, Tdap.

Doctors also recommend every pregnant woman get the Tdap vaccine between weeks 27 to 36 of gestation each time she’s pregnant to pass immunity on to her newborn. Babies under 3 months old are at greatest risk of dying if they catch whooping cough.

“Vaccinating mothers in pregnancy is the best approach we have at this time to saving infant lives,” Dr. Weiss says.

Warning Signs of Whooping Cough

Pertussis starts with cold-like symptoms – a runny nose, mild cough and perhaps a low fever. After one or two weeks, however, the disease can cause so much inflammation in the airways that a child has violent and rapid coughing fits, called paroxysms. Children struggle to breath in air, causing the “whooping” sound that gives the disease its common name. Many children also vomit during coughing fits. Rarely, a child can even pass out, fracture a rib or stop breathing during severe coughing. This violent cough can last two weeks or longer.

If your child is coughing in spasms, or breathing fast, or you can see your child’s ribs outlined when they breathe, your child definitely needs to be seen by a doctor.

Infants with pertussis don’t always have the classic whooping cough. Instead they may have “apnea,” a pause in breathing. If a baby has cold symptoms and any difficulty breathing, get to the doctor.

“We're very tuned into the problem of pertussis and we have a low threshold for testing,” Dr. Weiss says. “If it’s pertussis, we’ll likely find it.” Pertussis can be diagnosed with a simple test in your doctor’s office.

When Parents Do Their Best

Most people who’ve vaccinated their children know they’ve done their best. Still, it’s possible for a vaccinated child to get the disease. Be reassured that if your children do get whooping cough, they probably won’t get as sick as they would have otherwise.