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SoundS of PertuSSiS
Pertussis, also known aswhooping cough, is a po-tentially deadly infectionthat can strike at any age, butis particularly dangerous for babies.The sounds of pertussis are like noother, marked by a “whoop” madewhen gasping for breath after asevere coughing attack.
The RealiTy 
Pertussis can be a serious illness,particularly for babies and youngchildren.
•
More than half of babies with pertussismust be hospitalized.
•
Coughing can be so severe thatit is hard for babies to eat, drink or breathe.
•
Babies may bleed behind the eyesand in the brain from coughing.
•
About 1 child in 10 with pertussis alsogets pneumonia, and about 1 in every50 will have convulsions.
•
Brain damage occurs in 1 out of every250 people who get pertussis.
•
Pertussis causes about 10-15 deaths ayear in the United States.
BaBies aRe MosT VulneRaBle
Babies are at the highest risk for deve-loping complications from pertussisand dying. Ninety percent ofpertussis-associated deaths havebeen among babies less than sixmonths of age.
 
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Parents are responsible for morethan half of whooping cough cases inbabies. It is easily spread because it
is most contagious during the rst few
weeks of infection when symptomsresemble a cold. A parent, grand-parent or babysitter suffering fromwhat seems like a cold can actuallyhave pertussis and spread the diseaseto the baby.Parents, caregivers and other familymembers should be vaccinated tohelp “cocoon” babies and youngchildren when they are most vulnerableto the dangers of pertussis.
 adulTs iMMunize foR ChildRen
The best way to protect babiesfrom pertussis is to make sure thatanyone in close contact withthem is vaccinated. Babies are
the Way i Was
• Pertussis was first described in
the 16th century.
• The bacteria causing pertussis
was first isolated in 1906.
• Well into the 20th century,
pertussis was one of the mostcommon and dangerouschildhood diseases.
• Before pertussis vaccine was
available in the 1940s, morethan 200,000 cases werereported each year.
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