Whooping cough

Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease characterized by a severe,uncontrollable cough (coughing fits).

In Québec, between 2020 and 2023, the annual number of cases of whooping cough varied from 25 to 400 with an average of 132 cases per year. In 2024, an epidemic peak was observed with 17,723 cases.

The bacterium is spread through droplets from the nose and throat of those infected. The contagious period varies according to the situation:

• Someone with whooping cough and who has not been treated is contagious from the time the first symptoms appear and up to 3 weeks after starting to cough
• Someone with whooping cough and who has been treated is contagious from the time the first symptoms appear and up to 5 days after the beginning of treatment
• Someone who has stopped coughing is unlikely to transmit the disease

Whooping cough is transmitted between members of the same family, or between children attending the same daycare or school.

If you have whooping cough, make sure you stay away from young children and pregnant women in late pregnancy. You should take this precaution until you are no longer contagious.

In general, whooping cough begins with the following symptoms:

• Light fever
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes
• Coughing

The cough becomes more severe and more frequent within 7 to 14 days after the onset of symptoms.

The fit of coughing is followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like a ‘whoop’. Hence the name ‘whooping cough’ is given to the illness. Sometimes, the sufferer may then vomit or stop breathing for a few seconds.

The illness is most serious in babies younger than 1 year. In babies less than 1 year old, the cough may be mild or absent. Sometimes, the main symptom is apnea, which is the repeated cessation of breathing.

The symptoms usually appear 5 to 10 days, sometimes even 21 days, after contamination. Whooping cough lasts 6 to 10 weeks. However, in adolescents it can last longer than 10 weeks.

Only a healthcare professional can diagnose whooping cough. If you have an excessive or persistent cough, contact Info-Santé 811 or see a doctor. This way, you will know whether or not you have whooping cough and receive treatment if needed. The more prompt the treatment, the more effective it is.

If you have a prescription for a pertussis test and don't know where to go, contact Service Québec, option Dépistage at 1-877-644-4545.

If you have been in contact with someone with whooping cough, contact Info-Santé 811 or consult your doctor. Some people, pregnant women for example, can receive preventive treatment.

If you have any questions about your state of health, or if you need medical advice, call Info-Santé at 811, option 1.

Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics provided the cough has been present for less than three weeks. This treatment helps reduce risk of transmitting the disease by shortening the length of time the sick person is contagious. In some cases, it also reduces symptoms. It is very important to take all the antibiotics prescribed even if you start to feel better.

To relieve your symptoms and those of your children, consult the Self-care guide for infectious respiratory disease (influenza, COVID-19 or RSV infection).

Possible complications of whooping cough include:

• Otitis
• Pneumonia
• Rib fractures
• Hernias
• Convulsions (the body stiffens and muscles contract in a jerky and involuntary manner)

Some complications are rarer:

• Brain damage (1 case in 11,000);
• Death, especially in children who are less than 3 months old.

The risk of complications from whooping cough is higher in babies less than 1 year old. Most infected infants less than 6 months old need to be cared for in hospital. However, infants less than 3 months old are affected by the most serious complications. They account for:

• nearly half of hospital admissions and most admissions to intensive care;
• nearly all deaths caused by whooping cough. Deaths are, however, rare.

Babies under 3 months of age are much less at risk of complications if the mother was vaccinated during pregnancy.

To avoid transmitting the disease, sick people are advised to follow the Steps for limiting the spread of respiratory infectious diseases. They should also avoid contact with babies under one year of age, and unvaccinated pregnant people in their last month of pregnancy.

Vaccination is the best way to be protected against whooping cough. The whooping cough vaccine is a combined vaccine, meaning that it protects against several diseases at the same time. Components of the vaccine vary depending on the person’s age.

Québec’s immunization schedule provides for the administration of the whooping cough vaccine from 2 months of age. It is also recommended that all pregnant women get the whooping cough vaccine during each pregnancy.

Since May 2018, Québec experts have recommended adding the whooping cough vaccine to the regular immunization schedule for pregnant persons. The ideal time to get vaccinated is between the 26^th and the 32^nd week of pregnancy. Vaccination is recommended during each pregnancy.

During pregnancy, administration of the whooping cough vaccine allows antibodies to be transmitted directly to the baby via the placenta, protecting the baby from the time of birth until his own vaccination. Vaccination against whooping cough begins as early as 2 months of age. Several doses are required for lasting protection.

Vaccination during pregnancy is highly effective in preventing whooping cough and its complications in the baby. Recent studies show that it prevents approximately:

• 90% of hospital admissions associated with this infection in children less than 3 months old;
• 95% of deaths associated with this infection in children less than 3 months old.

Québec experts believe that whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy will help prevent a high number of serious whooping cough cases.

Millions of doses have been administered. No notable problems for mother or fetus have been detected in these countries. An analysis was conducted in the United States on data concerning more than 53,885 pregnant women who were vaccinated during pregnancy. The study did not find any link between vaccination against whooping cough and premature delivery or any other complications during pregnancy or defects in the unborn baby.

Everyone can be vaccinated against whooping cough free of charge as part of the Québec Immunization Program.

You can book an appointment to be vaccinated against whooping cough on Clic Santé or by calling 1-877-644-4545.

Make an appointment

Whooping cough is a reportable disease in Québec.

When laboratory staff and health professionals detect a case of whooping cough, they must inform public health authorities.