Who is affected by whooping cough
Whooping cough is most serious in babies younger than 4 months of age. Usually, the younger the infant, the more serious the illness.
In the United States in 2007:1
- Whooping cough occurred in about 4 people out of 100,000.
- People ages 10 to 20 had it more than any other age group.
- About 70 out of 100,000 infants younger than 6 months of age had it.
It is likely that a much higher number of people become infected with whooping cough than is reported. This may be in part because teens and adults usually have a milder form of the disease and don't see a doctor for treatment. Also, doctors may not always recognize mild symptoms as being related to whooping cough, and lab tests do not always detect the disease.
| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH | Last Updated: January 3, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics Christine Hahn, MD - Epidemiology | |
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