Germ Profile: Bordetella Pertussis

Outbreaks are most common in late summer and early fall. Scientists have also noted that the bacteria tend to run in a 3-year to 5-year cycles within a particular area.

When symptoms first start, pertussis tends to look a lot like a common cold, causing a runny nose and perhaps a slight fever and mild cough. The severe coughing spells begin a week or so later. In children, a coughing spell usually ends with the characteristic "whoop" noise, the sound of the child trying to catch his or her breath. Babies under 6 months may not produce this “whooping” even though they may cough so hard they vomit or lose consciousness.

Symptoms pertussis typically develop between 7 and 10 days after being exposed to (or infected with) the virus but can range from 4 to 24 days.

Pertussis is highly contagious. The bacteria spread person-to-person through coughs, sneezes, laughs – anything that produces a spray that can be breathed in by someone else. Experts estimate that if one person has pertussis, anyone in the household who isn’t immunized against the illness has an 80% chance of getting it, too.

Providers usually diagnose pertussis by taking a medical history and doing a physical exam. The provider may also choose to verify the diagnosis by testing a sample of mucus.

Treatment may include antibiotics, and severe illness might require monitoring and treatment in a hospital. (Note that infants 6 months and younger with pertussis will need hospital treatment.)

Practice prevention and stop the spread:

• Make sure everyone in your family is immunized with the pertussis vaccine. Pertussis is a preventable disease.
• During a pertussis outbreak in your area, keep your unimmunized child (age 7 or younger) home from school or daycare and out of social gatherings. Your unimmunized child can rejoin these activities two weeks after the last reported case.
• Wash your hands often and well, and have children do the same.
• Disinfect tables, toys, counters, and other surfaces regularly.
• Cover your sneezes and coughs.
• Use a tissue once, then throw it away and wash your hands.

Call your child's doctor if you notice:

• Severe coughing spells (may end in a whooping sound, gasping for air, loss of consciousness, vomiting).
• Any other breathing problems (such as periods of not breathing, very fast or very slow breathing, noisy breathing).
• Signs of low oxygen (bluish or purple skin or lips).
• Fever that lasts longer than 3 days —or fever higher than 100.2°F in an infant 3 months or younger.
• Fussiness, poor eating, sleepiness or low energy in a baby.
• Signs of dehydration (dry mouth and eyes, little urine, low energy).
• Any severe symptoms or symptoms that last longer than 7 days.