Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” is a highly contagious, acute respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. The name comes from the Latin term meaning “intense cough.”

Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of cases reported, with outbreaks reported in Pennsylvania.

The classic symptoms of pertussis include cough, an inspiratory whooping sound and vomiting after spells of coughing. However in adults, the symptoms are often much milder. It is thought that pertussis is responsible for 13-20% of cough illnesses lasting for more than one week in adolescents and adults. Most adults have much longer illnesses lasting from 3-6 weeks. Infants and young children typically contract the illness from adults. Each year pertussis causes approximately 300,000 deaths.

Individuals with pertussis are considered infectious until they have completed five days of appropriate antibiotic treatment.

An important misconception is that childhood pertussis vaccination confers lifelong immunity. Protective immunity wanes after 5 to 10 years and rarely lasts more than 12 years. Therefore, booster vaccination is recommended for adolescents and adults. In 2006 Tdap (Adacel) vaccine was introduced specifically for adults. It is recommended that all adults receive this vaccine one time.

The vaccine is generally well tolerated. It can cause injection site pain, headache, fatigue, GI upset and in rare cases flu like symptoms.