Whooping Cough (Pertussis) is in Dane County: What You Need to Know

In the last few weeks, our Communicable Disease Team has followed up with people who have tested positive for whooping cough, which is also known as pertussis. In this post, we’re sharing what whooping cough is, why it’s important to get vaccinated, and what to do should you or your family have symptoms.

How whooping cough works

Whooping cough can be a serious illness. It is an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by a bacteria and spreads easily from person to person. The bacteria travel on droplets of saliva when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes.

If you are exposed to whooping cough and become infected, symptoms generally develop 5 to 10 days after your last contact with the infected person but can take up to 21 days to develop. Early symptoms are very similar to those of a cold and include low‐grade fever and a slight cough. After about a week, the cough gets worse and can cause other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, vomiting, and the need to deeply breathe in. Some people have a “whoop” when they cough, which is how whooping cough got its name, but not everyone has the “whoop.” Even if you don’t have a “whoop,” you could still have pertussis.  Listen to the signature “whoop” in this video:

Vaccines can help keep you and your family safe from getting severely sick from whooping cough.

Getting the recommended vaccines lessen your chances of ever getting sick with whooping cough. If you do get sick, your illness won’t be as severe as if you were unvaccinated. The vaccine is critically important for infants, who are at highest risk of being hospitalized or dying from whooping cough.

There are two types of vaccine that protect against whooping cough, and the type you or your child will receive depends on age:

• Children younger than 7 years old: Get the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine; 5 doses are recommended prior to age 7.
• Adolescents and adults: Get the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. This is usually recommended around age 11 or 12. Pregnant people should get this vaccine during each pregnancy. Caregivers of babies should be sure they’re up to date too!

We offer free vaccinations for people without insurance and children on BadgerCare. If you have insurance, you can get vaccinated at area pharmacies or your doctor’s office.

Even if someone has gotten pertussis vaccinations, the protective effects of this immunization can decrease over time; it’s possible to still get whooping cough. Take action if you were exposed and start to see symptoms. Read on!

If you think you or your child have been exposed to whooping cough, here’s what to do:

• Talk to your doctor. Your doctor may recommend you or your child take antibiotics even if they do not have symptoms.
• If you need to see your doctor, call first. This lets them prepare to see you while keeping others safe.
• You or your child can continue to go to work, school, childcare, and other activities outside your home, as long as there are no symptoms of whooping cough.
• If you or your child have a chronic health condition (for example, asthma, diabetes, or cancer), your doctor may want you or your child to take antibiotics now, even without any symptoms. Please talk with your doctor and call before going to their office.
• If you or your child spend time around infants less than one year of age or pregnant people, we recommend treatment with antibiotics now. Talk about this with your doctor.
• If you or your child develop a cough within 21 days of the date of exposure, stay home from work, school, or other activities and talk to your doctor to find out if you or your child should be seen and tested for pertussis. Be sure to still call before visiting.
• Check immunization statuses. If you or your child were vaccinated in Wisconsin, you can access vaccination record using the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). If you have received a dose of Tdap, you do not need to receive a booster specifically for pertussis.