National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Whooping Cough is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Whooping Cough
Also called: Pertussis
Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable coughing. The name comes from the noise you make when you take a breath after you cough. You may have choking spells or may cough so hard that you vomit.
Anyone can get whooping cough, but it is more common in infants and children. It's especially dangerous in infants. The coughing spells can be so bad that it is hard for infants to eat, drink or breathe.
Before there was a vaccine, whooping cough was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood deaths in the U.S. There are fewer cases today because there are both pertussis-only vaccines and combination vaccines for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. If you have whooping cough, treatment with antibiotics may help if given early.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Start Here
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - What You Need To Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis)(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Overviews
- Whooping Cough(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Latest News
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Whooping Cough Concern
(09/13/2012, HealthDay)
- Whooping Cough Vaccine Protection Fades Over Time(09/12/2012, HealthDay)
- Is 'Improved' Vaccine Causing Whooping Cough Outbreaks?(07/31/2012, HealthDay)
- Whooping Cough Cases Reaching Record Highs(07/19/2012, HealthDay)
- More News on Whooping Cough
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Whooping Cough Concern
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Pertussis Signs & Symptoms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Treatment
- Pertussis Diagnosis & Treatment(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Prevention/Screening
- Current Vaccine Shortages and Delays(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Diphtheria Tetanus & Pertussis Vaccines: What You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Pertussis: Summary of Vaccine Recommendations Across the Lifespan(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tetanus, Diphtheria (Td) or Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
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Related Issues
- Pertussis: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Pictures & Photographs
- Pertussis Photos(Immunization Action Coalition)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Whooping Cough(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Whooping Cough
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Research
- Updated Recommendations for Use of Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Symptomatic treatment of the cough in whooping cough.
- Article: Combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine versus separately administered DTP-HBV and HIB vaccines...
- Article: Influenza and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy.
- Whooping Cough -- see more articles
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Organizations
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Law and Policy
- Tdap Booster Requirements for Secondary Schools(Immunization Action Coalition)
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Statistics
- FastStats: Whooping Cough/Pertussis(National Center for Health Statistics)
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Outbreaks(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Pertussis: Fast Facts(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Children
- Pertussis Disease Villain(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis)(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Woes of Whooping Cough(Nemours Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Diphtheria Tetanus & Pertussis Vaccines: What You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- DTaP immunization (vaccine)
- Also available in Spanish
- Pertussis
- Also available in Spanish
- Tetanus, Diphtheria (Td) or Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
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Whooping Cough - Multiple Languages