Whooping cough is a respiratory tract infection caused by a
bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. DPT vaccine helps to
prevent the infection.Whooping cough or pertussis is an acute
respiratory tract infection caused by a bacterium called
Bordetella pertussis, which causes uncontrolled episodes of
persistent coughing. “Pertussis” also means “violent cough” and
the Chinese call it “the cough of 100 days” because it lasts for
a long duration. In children, there is a sudden characteristic
whooping sound while breathing in, following a coughing episode.
This ‘whoop’ is however absent in adults and infants.Facts about
Whooping Cough Whooping cough is prevalent in almost all
countries especially the tropics. Children below 5 years are
most affected which comprise of almost 90% of all cases.
However, there is a recent increase in the adolescent age group.
According to the Centers for disease control and prevention
(CDC), the maximum number of whooping cough cases and half of
the deaths due to whooping cough occur in