What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough causes intense bouts of coughing. It can affect anyone of any age, but is more commonly seen in children under the age of four years.
Whooping cough is now relatively uncommon in the UK because all babies are offered a pertussis vaccine at two, three and four months of age and a booster vaccine between the ages of three and five years. Before the introduction of this vaccine in the 1950s, over 100,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in England and Wales. Last year there were just 150 cases in children under the age of four years. Whooping cough does, however, remain a major cause of illness in children in countries where the vaccine is not routinely offered.
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