Both my 3 year old and my 5 month old have been coughing so hard they throw up and end up having bloody noses. they have been vaccinated against pertussis yet my 3 year old has the telltale whooooop sound when she tries to breathe in between coughing fits. My question is could this be whooping cough? If so, what can I do to help them get through it? And when should I take them in (again, seeing how I ve taken them in twice now and all I ve been told is come back if they get lethargic or spike a fever. If its not whooping cough, what else might it be? Thanks!
Hello, Welcome to Chat Doctor, Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that's highly contagious, and its also vaccine preventable. It starts like a cold, with congestion and upper respiratory symptoms, and then progresses to a cough. It spreads through close contact with oral secretions and respiratory Chat Doctor.  So it's easily spread through the cough, especially when people are in close contact like living in the same house with a person who has whooping cough. It can be treated with antibiotics usually erythromycin for 2 weeks. It's important to take the doses on time to develop and maintain the appropriate antibiotic levels in the blood to clear the infection. Thank you.