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Pertussis (whooping cough) On this page Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease involving the respiratory tract. It is caused by a bacterium that is found in the mouth, nose and throat of an infected person. Pertussis can occur at any age. From 2000 through 2007, 62 percent of the pertussis cases in Oregon were 10 years of age or older; hospitalization and death from pertussis (4 in the past 5 years) have been limited to those under 1 year of age. Pertussis begins as a mild upper respiratory infection. Initially, symptoms resemble those of a common cold, including sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever and a mild cough. Within two weeks, the cough becomes more severe and is characterized by episodes of numerous rapid coughs followed by a crowing or high-pitched whoop. A thick, clear mucous may be discharged. These episodes may recur for one to two months, and are more frequent at night. Older people or partially immunized children generally have milder symptoms. Childhood immunization is recommended.
Health care providers and clinical laboratories are required by law to report cases and suspect cases of pertussis to local health departments within one working day of identification. Cases are subject to restriction on school attendance, day-care attendance, and patient care while in the communicable stage of the disease. Worksite, child-care and school restrictions can be removed once the case has completed the first five days of a full course of antibiotics, or after 21 days have passed since cough onset. Go to our disease reporting page for information on how to report and for telephone numbers of local health departments.
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