The ‘100-day cough’ that adults often miss

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Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the airways. It gets its common name from the “whoop” sound that some infected children make when they take a deep, gasping breath after a severe coughing fit.

The infection is caused by the bacterium bordetella pertussis, with research suggesting that as few as 140 bacterial cells may be enough to cause infection. The bacterium spreads through infected droplets...