Pertussis adults

Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Now about half of all the cases that occur in this country are among teens and adults. And treatment consists of a course of antibiotics. Teens and adults need to get the vaccine, too. Here is what the CDC has to say on the subject:.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious condition. This infection is most common in infants, but people of all ages can contract it. Whooping cough symptoms tend to be less severe in adults than in children. Unvaccinated infants have the highest risk of developing severe symptoms and complications from whooping cough.

Learn about our expanded patient care options for your health care needs. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is very contagious and mainly affects infants and young children. The illness is characterized by coughing spells that end with a characteristic "whoop" as air is inhaled. Whooping cough caused thousands of deaths in the s and s. With the advent of a vaccine, the death rate has declined dramatically.

Pertussis whooping cough can cause serious illness in babies, children, teens, and adults. Symptoms of pertussis usually develop within 5 to 10 days after you are exposed. Sometimes pertussis symptoms do not develop for as long as 3 weeks. The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or not even there.