Whooping Cough

Whooping Cough Notification

We have had an outbreak of whooping cough in our community which we need to let parents and caregivers know about. If your child has any of the following symptoms, we advise that you seek medical help.

At first, whooping cough has the same symptoms as the average cold:
Mild coughing
Sneezing
Runny nose
Low fever
You may also have diarrhoea early on.

After about 7-10 days, the cough turns into “coughing spells” that end with a whooping sound as the person tries to breathe in air.

Because the cough is dry and doesn't produce mucus, these spells can last up to 1 minute. Sometimes it can cause your face to briefly turn red or purple.

Most people with whooping cough have coughing spells, but not everyone does.

Infants may not make the whooping sound or even cough, but they might gasp for air or try to catch their breath during these spells. Some may vomit.