health

Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium known as Bordetella
pertussis, an organism that appears to live only in humans.
The organism is spread primarily by droplets in the coughing
of infected individuals. When someone breathes in some of
these droplets, the bacterium attaches itself to the tissues
that line the throat and upper respiratory tract and multiplies.
The patient usually begins to feel sick within three to twelve
days after being infected.

The symptoms of whooping cough depend on the stage of the illness:

• Early phase (lasts one to two weeks). The patient appears to have
  an ordinary cold, with runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion.
  There may be low-grade fever and runny eyes. The disease is most likely
  to be spread to others at this stage.
  
• Coughing stage (one to two weeks). The patient has spells of intense
  coughing that may last for several minutes and end in a whooping sound
  as the child struggles for breath. Infants younger than six months do
  not usually make the whooping sound but may become completely exhausted.
  The child may turn red in the face and vomit at the end of the coughing spell.
  Adults with whooping cough may get headaches during this stage.
  The coughing is usually worse at night. In some cases the patient develops
  pinpoint-sized red marks in the upper chest or the whites of the eyes caused
  by the breaking of tiny blood vessels during the coughing spells.
  These little marks are called petechiae.
  
• Recovery stage (one to two weeks). The child begins to feel better
  but continues to cough occasionally