Known medically as pertussis, whooping cough is a highly infectious and potentially fatal bacterial infection that attacks the airways, causing uncontrollable coughing and difficulty breathing.  

Often referred to as the ‘100-day cough,’ whooping cough can cause rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits until all air is gone from the lungs. These coughing fits can last for months and can be so severe that they cause vomiting, incontinence, broken ribs and hospitalisation.  

Australia is in the grip of a whooping cough epidemic, the first since the last nationwide outbreak which peaked in 2015. Epidemics of whooping cough occur in cycles and may persist for several years. 

Other parts of the world are also experiencing outbreaks of whooping cough, including the United Kingdom where eight infant deaths caused by whooping cough were recorded between January and May 2024. 

Whooping cough is more contagious than influenza, measles or COVID-19 and, once infected, a person can remain contagious for three weeks or until they receive a course of antibiotics.

Symptoms of whopping cough don’t appear immediately (often for a week or more following infections), so an infected person may unwittingly spread whooping cough to up to 17 unvaccinated people.

Whooping cough can be fatal in infants and can cause serious illness in older children and adults. 

In Australia this year, a quarter of confirmed cases of whooping cough are in adults. Pre-teens and young teenagers are also at risk, with 40 per cent of confirmed cases of whooping cough occurring in 10-14-year-olds.  

While whooping cough is most serious in infants, some older children and adults are at a higher risk of severe illness. People with asthma face a four times greater risk of whooping cough infection and have a higher risk of being hospitalised. 

Whooping cough vaccination offers the best defence against this highly contagious disease for the person vaccinated and their loved ones.

Babies are at greatest risk of severe whooping cough and immunisation of pregnant women offers the baby protection until it can receive its own vaccine schedule from six weeks of age. 

The best way for older children and adults to protect themselves and loved ones from whooping cough is to remain protected with booster vaccines. 

Vaccinations for whooping cough have been used for more than 100 years, with billions of doses administered globally. Last year alone, more than 115 million infants were vaccinated against whooping cough worldwide. 

Side effects are closely monitored, and ongoing research shows that currently available whooping cough vaccines are very safe across broad populations. In fact, recent research involving more than 40,000 pregnant women found only mild side effects such as pain or redness at the injection site. 

Having whooping cough does not leave you immune and while vaccination is the best defence against the bacteria, protection does wane over time. A whooping cough booster at least every 10 years is a safe and effective way to bolster protection.

In Australia, the whooping cough booster comes as a combination vaccine that also protects against diphtheria and tetanus, both of which also require boosters at least every 10 years to remain effective.  

While vaccination is especially important for babies, pregnant women and people who are in contact with infants, we all have a role to play in controlling the spread of whooping cough and reducing the risk of infection. 

The risks posed by whooping cough are compounded by a reduction in the number of Australians receiving booster vaccination. More than 13 per cent of Australian adolescents are skipping their free school-based whooping cough booster, a figure which has increased since 2021. 

Australians can check their vaccination status by talking to a doctor, pharmacist or by accessing their Immunisation History Statement via the myGov app or website.