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What is whooping cough
- Whooping cough
- Whooping cough is an infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. At first it is similar to a common cold, characterized by a runny nose, mild cough, sneezing and a low fever. However, after about 10 days, its most characteristic symptom appears, which is a convulsive cough when taking air to breathe , especially when about 10 days have passed since the infection. It occurs mostly in children, and is rare in babies under 6 months or adults. These episodes, which occur over six weeks, can cause suffocation and vomiting, leading to death in a small number of cases , especially in young children and babies. Currently there are vaccines that prevent it, given how highly infectious the disease is. In addition, it is easily spread through the air, due to the cough of the person who suffers from it.