Cases of whooping cough, also known as the 100 day cough, are on the rise in England and Wales, after data from the UK Health Security Agency showed they’d increased by roughly 230 percent compared to last year.
Between July and November 2023 there were 716 reported cases of whooping cough, which is three times higher than the same period in 2022.
Pertussis, whooping cough’s medical name, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes that spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems.
The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold, such as a runny nose, red and watery eyes, a sore throat, and a slightly raised temperature, says the NHS.
But a week later intense coughing bouts start, particularly at night. The health service advises: “The bouts usually last a few minutes at a time and tend to be more common at night.
“Coughing usually brings up thick mucus and may be followed by vomiting.”
Between coughs, you or your child may gasp for breath, and this may cause a ‘whoop’ sound, although not everyone has this.
It adds: “The strain of coughing can cause the face to become very red, and there may be some slight bleeding under the skin or in the eyes.
“Young children can sometimes briefly turn blue (cyanosis) if they have trouble breathing – this often looks worse than it is and their breathing should start again quickly.
“In very young babies, the cough may not be particularly noticeable, but there may be brief periods where they stop breathing.
“The bouts will eventually start to become less severe and less frequent over time, but it may be a few months before they stop completely.”
Who’s at risk of whooping cough?
Whooping cough can affect people of any age, this includes:
- babies and young children – young babies under six months of age are at a particularly increased risk of complications of whooping cough
- older children and adults – it tends to be less serious in these cases, but can still be unpleasant and frustrating
- people who’ve had whooping cough before – you’re not immune to whooping cough if you’ve had it before, although it tends to be less severe the second time around
- people vaccinated against whooping cough as a child – protection from the whooping cough vaccine tends to wear off after a few years
You can catch whooping cough if you come into close contact with someone who’s infected.
A person is infectious from around six days after they were infected, when their cold-like symptoms started, until three weeks after the coughing bouts start.
If you or your child experience the following, call 999 or go to A&E:
- have significant breathing difficulties, such as long periods of breathlessness or choking, shallow breathing, periods where breathing stops, or dusky, blue skin
- develop signs of serious complications of whooping cough, such as fits (seizures) or pneumonia