Guidance

Information for individuals diagnosed with whooping cough

Published 23 January 2024

Whooping cough

Whooping cough is caused by the ‘pertussis’ bacteria (bug) and is spread by coughing and sneezing. The symptoms often start like a cold, progressing to outbursts of coughing which can sometimes cause vomiting or choking. The cough sometimes has a characteristic ‘whoop’ sound. The most effective way to prevent whooping cough is to be fully vaccinated.

Treatment and vaccination

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat whooping cough if the illness started recently. Whooping cough can be spread to others from about 6 days after the start of cold-like symptoms to 3 weeks after the cough starts or until 48 hours after starting the right antibiotics. If you have been given antibiotics to treat whooping cough, please remember to stay off nursery, school or work, and avoid contact with any young babies or pregnant women until 48 hours after starting antibiotics.

If it is more than 3 weeks since the start of your illness, starting antibiotics at this time is unlikely to help and you will no longer infect others. If it is more than 3 weeks since the start of the illness and you are well enough, you can go to work as normal. The cough can last for up to 3 months or more in some people. If you become concerned, please discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

Whooping cough can be a very serious illness in young babies who are not fully vaccinated against it (who have not received 3 doses of the ‘pertussis-containing vaccine’ offered at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age). Therefore, if there are pregnant women or young babies in your household, and it is less than 21 days since your symptoms started, they may be offered antibiotics and vaccination to help protect them.

We also recommend the following:

• if there is a baby under one year who is not fully vaccinated in your household, and you are concerned they may have symptoms of whooping cough, seek prompt advice from the baby’s GP
• if anyone in your household is unwell with similar symptoms and works with babies (under the age of one year) or pregnant women, ask them to inform their occupational health department promptly – the occupational health department can seek further advice from the local health protection team within the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as required
• anyone in your household who is pregnant and has reached their 16th week of pregnancy but has not yet received a pertussis-containing vaccine during their current pregnancy should be vaccinated
• ensure all babies and children under 10 years in your household are fully up to date with their vaccines – you can check this with your GP surgery if you are not sure
• if the individual diagnosed with whooping cough works at or attends a boarding or special needs school, contact the health protection team – you can find your local team by entering your postcode to provide the name of the school – this helps us to identify outbreaks
• if the individual diagnosed with whooping cough is a healthcare worker, inform your occupational health department and infection prevention control team as soon as possible

Vaccine uptake levels in pregnant women, babies and young children have fallen in recent years across England. Vaccination in pregnancy (ideally between 20 and 32 weeks) is key to passively protecting babies before they can be directly protected by the infant vaccine programme.

It is also important that babies are vaccinated when they become eligible for infant doses and that those who miss vaccination are caught up at the earliest opportunity.

Further information

More information is available at:

Whooping cough, NHS.UK

Vaccinations and when to have them, NHS.UK

Information leaflet on whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy