How do I know if my child has whooping cough?
The first signs of whooping cough are like a cold. After about a week, you or your child: will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night. will make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not “whoop”)
When should I take my child to the doctor for whooping cough?
Keep an eye on him or her during coughing spells; if your child turns blue in the face, you should seek emergency medical attention. If your child stops breathing, call 911 and begin performing CPR. Other concerning symptoms that call for a trip to the ER include severe vomiting, dehydration, and uncontrollable fever.
Can a 7 year old get whooping cough?
And, although it most severely affects babies, pertussis has also been seen in older kids, particularly ages 7–10 and teens 13–15 in recent years.
Is whooping cough wet or dry?
The first symptoms of pertussis may be similar to those of a common cold, including nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, red and watery eyes, mild fever, and a dry cough. After about one week to 2 weeks, the dry cough becomes a wet cough that brings up thick, stringy mucus.
Can my child still get whooping cough if vaccinated?
Can people who have been vaccinated still get whooping cough? Sometimes when vaccinated people are exposed, they get whooping cough anyway, although they usually have milder symptoms, a shorter illness, and may be less likely to spread the disease to others.
How do you check for whooping cough?
A nose or throat culture and test. Your doctor takes a swab or suction sample from the area where the nose and throat meet (nasopharynx). The sample is then checked for evidence of the presence of whooping cough bacteria.
Can a child vaccinated get whooping cough?
If pertussis is circulating in the community, there’s a chance that even a fully vaccinated person of any age can catch this very contagious disease. But if you received pertussis vaccines, your infection is usually less serious.
What whooping cough sounds like?
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it’s marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop.”
How serious is whooping cough in kids?
Of those babies who get treatment for whooping cough in a hospital, about 1 out of 4 will get pneumonia and 1 or 2 out of 100 will die. Other complications include violent, uncontrolled shaking, life-threatening pauses in breathing, and brain disease.