Signs and symptoms
... Once you become infected with whooping cough, it takes a few days to a few weeks for signs and symptoms to appear. When they do, they''re usually mild at first and resemble those of a common cold, suc...

Causes
... Whooping cough is an upper respiratory infection, which means it affects your chest, airways and lungs. It''s caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which spread through droplets of respiratory secr...

Risk factors
... Some people think of whooping cough as having gone the way of polio — a childhood disease eradicated thanks to a vaccination campaign. But whooping cough hasn''t been wiped out. According to the...

When to seek medical advice
... Call your doctor immediately if you experience prolonged, severe coughing spells, especially if these spells make you turn red or blue, are followed by vomiting or occur together with a whooping sound...

Screening and diagnosis
... Diagnosing whooping cough in its early stages can be difficult because the signs and symptoms resemble those of other common respiratory illnesses, such as a cold, the flu or bronchitis. Sometimes, do...