Should I use this page, or get help now?
Use this page if a cough has turned into long bouts and you need 111 versus 999. Skip it and call 999 if lips or skin turn blue or grey, breathing is very hard, there is chest pain on breathing, or a child is having a fit. Babies can be very unwell even without a whoop.
This page cannot test for pertussis. Vaccination still matters for the next baby.
What is whooping cough and what does it feel like?
Whooping cough is a lung and airway infection that spreads easily. It often starts like a cold — runny nose and sore throat; a high temperature is uncommon. After about a week, coughing bouts last a few minutes and are worse at night. Some people whoop; young babies and some adults may not.
The cough can last weeks or months. Babies may pause breathing or turn blue or grey. That is 999, not a wait for a classic whoop on a video.
Should I use 111 or a GP?
Yes, rather than waiting for the cough to name itself. Use 111 or an urgent GP if a baby under 6 months has symptoms, a bad cough is getting worse, or you are pregnant and have had contact. Antibiotics may be offered if the cough started within three weeks — they help stop spread.
In England, Scotland and Wales call 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland). In Northern Ireland there is no general 111 — use GP out-of-hours on nidirect.
How can I ease it at home?
Rest and drink plenty of fluids. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can ease discomfort — follow the pack. Do not give aspirin to children under 16. Do not expect cough syrup to stop the bouts. Keep unwell adults away from newborns. Find a GPhC-registered pharmacy on Pick My Pharmacy for pain relief — not as a substitute for 111.
Stay off school or work until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or three weeks after the cough started if you have not had them.
Does vaccination still help?
Yes. NHS childhood immunisation includes whooping cough in the 6-in-1 vaccine and a preschool booster. If you are pregnant you should also have the vaccine, usually around 20 weeks, to protect the baby in the first weeks of life. Speak to your midwife or GP if it has not been offered.
Croup is a barking cough over days. Whooping cough lasts weeks. Bronchiolitis is a baby chest infection, usually in winter. If you cannot tell, use 111.
When is it 999?
Call 999 or go to A&E if lips, tongue, face or skin turn blue or grey, breathing is shallow or very hard, there is chest pain worse on breathing or coughing, or a child is having a fit. Between bouts a child may look deceptively well — judge the worst moment, not the calm one.
See pharmacy, GP, 111 or A&E if you are stuck on the door. A lingering cough in a well older child after treatment still belongs with a GP if it is not settling.
How is whooping cough different from croup or a lingering cold?
Croup is a barking cough over a few days in young children, often worse at night. A cold cough eases within a couple of weeks. Whooping cough is bouts that can last weeks or months, sometimes with a whoop or vomiting after coughing. Adults may never whoop and still infect a baby.
Keep coughing adults away from newborns. If a baby in the house is coughing, use 111 or 999 depending on colour and breathing — do not wait for a classic whoop. See a GP if you are pregnant and have had contact, even if your own cough seems mild.
Who should skip this page?
Skip this page if a baby is already changing colour or not breathing properly — call 999. It is not a croup night, not a lingering cough after a cold in a well adult, and not a reason to delay the pregnancy vaccine. A cough lasting months after treatment still belongs with a GP if you are not recovering.
Common questions about whooping cough
- What does whooping cough sound like?
- After a cold-like week, coughing bouts last a few minutes and are worse at night. Some people gasp with a whoop; babies and some adults may not. Vomiting thick mucus after a bout is common. Between bouts they may seem well. If a baby pauses breathing or changes colour, that is 999.
- How long does whooping cough last?
- The cough may last several weeks or months. You can spread it for up to three weeks after coughing starts. If antibiotics are given within three weeks of the cough starting, they help stop spread to others — they may not shorten the cough much. Follow the course you are given.
- Can adults get whooping cough?
- Yes. Protection from childhood vaccines fades. Adults often have a long coughing illness without a classic whoop, and can still infect babies. See a GP or 111 for a cough that is getting worse, especially if you live with a young baby or are pregnant. Do not visit newborns while you have a coughing illness.
- How is whooping cough treated?
- A clinician may prescribe antibiotics if it is caught within three weeks of the cough starting, mainly to reduce spread. Rest, fluids and pharmacy pain relief for discomfort — follow the pack. Do not give aspirin to children under 16. Babies under 6 months often need hospital care. Cough medicines do not stop the bouts.
- Why do pregnant women get the whooping cough vaccine?
- Antibodies pass to the baby and protect them in the first weeks of life, before their own vaccines. NHS advice is to have it around 20 weeks of each pregnancy. Speak to your midwife or GP if you have not been offered it. Childhood 6-in-1 and preschool booster doses continue the protection.
- When can they go back to school?
- Stay off school, nursery or work until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or until three weeks after the cough started if you have not had antibiotics. That is NHS exclusion advice. The cough can continue after you are no longer considered infectious — that alone is not a reason to keep a recovering older child off forever.