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Whooping cough (pertussis)
Whooping cough (pertussis) causes a severe cough and may last for many weeks. It spreads easily in the air when someone with whooping cough talks, coughs, or sneezes around other people. The illness usually starts with mild cold symptoms or a cough. Then the cough can become severe.
Whooping cough is most serious for babies. It can lead to hospitalization, pneumonia, breathing problems, brain damage, and even death.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent whooping cough. The vaccine for babies and young children is called DTaP. The vaccine for teens and adults is called Tdap. Anyone who is pregnant should get the vaccine during the third trimester of each pregnancy.
Resources for the general public
Please use and share these materials to help spread awareness about whooping cough.
Whooping Cough information sheet (171 KB)
This fact sheet goes over basic information on whooping cough, including how it spreads, symptoms, and vaccination.
Also available in the following languages:
አማርኛ - Amharic (218 KB) | العربية - Arabic (232 KB) | 简体字 - Chinese, Simplified (265 KB) | 繁體字 - Chinese, Traditional (281 KB) | English (171 KB) | 한국어 - Korean (258 KB) | Kajin M̧ajeļ - Marshallese (197 KB) | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Punjabi (208 KB) | Русский - Russian (229 KB) | Af Soomaali - Somali (180 KB) | Español - Spanish (175 KB) | Wikang Tagalog - Filipino/Tagalog (175 KB) | Українська - Ukrainian (235 KB) | Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese (219 KB)
What is whooping cough and how do I protect my family? (624 KB)
This resource is a series of slides about whooping cough, including information on how it spreads, who is at risk, and vaccination.
Also available in the following languages:
العربية - Arabic (734 KB) | 简体字 - Chinese, Simplified (707 KB) | 繁體字 - Chinese, Traditional (708 KB) | دری - Dari (730 KB) | English (624 KB) | 日本語 - Japanese (624 KB) | ភាសាខ្មែរ - Khmer (633 KB) | 한국어 - Korean (712 KB) | Kajin M̧ajeļ - Marshallese (873 KB) | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Punjabi (634 KB) | Русский - Russian (634 KB) | Af Soomaali - Somali (626 KB) | Español - Spanish (628 KB) | Wikang Tagalog - Filipino/Tagalog (835 KB) | ትግርኛ - Tigrinya (848 KB) | Українська - Ukrainian (633 KB) | Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese (628 KB)
This flyer explains what whooping cough is, how to protect yourself and others, and vaccination information.
Also available in the following languages:
አማርኛ - Amharic (179 KB) | العربية - Arabic (215 KB) | 繁體字 - Chinese, Traditional (206 KB) | دری - Dari (242 KB) | English (147 KB) | 日本語 - Japanese (543 KB) | ភាសាខ្មែរ - Khmer (150 KB) | 한국어 - Korean (192 KB) | Kajin M̧ajeļ - Marshallese (173 KB) | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Punjabi (159 KB) | Русский - Russian (219 KB) | Af Soomaali - Somali (144 KB) | Español - Spanish (146 KB) | Wikang Tagalog - Filipino/Tagalog (148 KB) | ትግርኛ - Tigrinya (201 KB) | Українська - Ukrainian (248 KB) | Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese (219 KB)
Whooping Cough flyer for pregnant people (127 KB)
This flyer explains how to protect you and your baby from whooping cough through vaccination.
Also available in the following languages:
አማርኛ - Amharic (151 KB) | 繁體字 - Chinese, Traditional (284 KB) | English (127 KB) | Русский - Russian (166 KB) | Af Soomaali - Somali (133 KB) | Español - Spanish (131 KB) | Українська - Ukrainian (165 KB) | Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese (157 KB)
Resources for health care professionals
Pertussis is a reportable condition in King County. Health care providers, health care facilities, and laboratories are required to report cases of pertussis in King County residents within 24 hours by calling 206-296-4774.