infections
Pertussis
Symptoms of Pertussis
The illness begins about 1 or 2 weeks after exposure. If no complications develop, pertussis lasts about 6 to 10 weeks, progressing through three stages: Mild coldlike symptoms Severe coughing fits Gradual recovery Coldlike symptomsinclude sneezing, runny nose, loss of appetite, listlessness, a hacking cough at night, and a general feeling of illness (malaise). People may be hoarse but rarely have a fever. Coughing fitsdevelop after 10 to 14 days. These fits typically consist of 5 or more rapidly consecutive forceful coughs, often followed by the whoop (a prolonged, high-pitched, deeply indrawn breath). Only about half of people have typical whooping. Vaccinated children may be less likely to have whooping. After a fit, breathing is normal, but another coughing fit follows shortly thereafter. The cough often produces large amounts of thick mucus (usually swallowed by infants and children or seen as large bubbles from the nose). In younger children, vomiting often follows a prolonged fit of coughing. In infants, choking spells and pauses in breathing (apnea), possibly causing the skin to turn blue, may be more common than the whoops. About one fourth of children develop Overview of Pneumonia , resulting in difficulty breathing. Ear infections ( After about 4 weeks, the coughing fits gradually subside, but for many weeks or even months, children may continue to have coughing fits. Most children with pertussis recover completely, although slowly. But a few children under 1 year old die. 