it's a bacterial infection so it can be treated with antibiotics usually erythromycin or similar antibiotics. if antibiotics are recommended it’s important to take all the doses as prescribed. over-the-counter cough medicines are not recommended and don't really help. the prescription medicines that are effective for cough are strong and they're generally avoided in young children and are probably not effective for pertussis. it's commonly recommended to minimize the things that can trigger the cough. with younger kids try to keep them quiet and limit their activity. a humidifier is often used as breathing moist air can soothe the airways. infants with severe disease require hospitalization sometimes in intensive care. it can be serious enough to require intubation and ventilation -- in which a breathing tube is inserted into the throat both to protect the airways and to assist with breathing until they can recover from the infection.
how is whooping cough treated?