Version July 2025
Please read the Disclaimer at the end of this page.
What are discharge instructions? —
Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of your child after getting medical care in the emergency department ("ED").
What should I know? —
Your child was seen in the ED for whooping cough, also called "pertussis." This is an infection that causes a severe cough. It can spread easily from person to person.
Babies can get whooping cough if they did not get the whooping cough vaccine or have not yet gotten all the doses. Older children can get whooping cough if they did not get the vaccine, or if it has been a few years since they were vaccinated.
Early on, whooping cough usually causes symptoms of a cold, including a mild cough. After 1 to 2 weeks, the cold symptoms get better, but the cough gets worse. Your child might have severe coughing attacks. They might also make a "whoop" sound when they breathe in after a coughing attack.
Your child's symptoms will probably start to get better in a few weeks or so. But it can sometimes take months for the cough to go away completely.
The doctor probably gave your child antibiotics. If so, it is very important they finish all the medicine, even if they start to feel better.
How do I care for my child at home? —
Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure you understand exactly what you need to do to care for your child. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.
You should also do the following:
●Call your child's regular doctor and tell them your child was in the ED. Make a follow-up appointment if you were told to.
●Help your child take all their medicines as instructed.
●Do not give your child over-the-counter cough or cold medicines. They are not likely to help, and they can cause serious problems in young children.
●Help your child get plenty of rest.
●Offer your child plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
●Give your child small meals to avoid vomiting after coughing.
●Keep your child away from places where people are smoking.
●To help with your child's cough:
•Use a cool mist humidifier.
•Offer your child sips of warm liquids.
•Sit with your child in the bathroom while a warm, steamy shower is running.
•Older children can suck on hard candy or a lollipop.
●To help prevent spreading the infection to others:
•Teach your child to cover their mouth when they cough.
•Wash your and your child's hands often.
•Make sure anyone who lives with or takes care of your child gets the whooping cough vaccine if they haven't already.
•Your child should stay home from school or day care until the doctor says they can return.
When should I get emergency help?
●Call for emergency help right away (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if your child:
•Stops breathing
•Has so much trouble breathing they can only say 1 or 2 words at a time
•Needs to sit upright to breathe, or cannot lie down
•Is very tired from working to catch their breath
•Is making a grunting sound when they breathe
•Has a seizure
•Passes out, seems very sleepy, or is breathing fast, and has 1 or more of these signs of severe fluid loss:
-Their skin is mottled and cool, and their hands and feet are blue.
-They do not urinate for over 24 hours.
-Their eyes or soft spot is sunken.
●Return to the ED if:
•Your child coughs up blood.
•Your child has so much trouble breathing they cannot talk in a full sentence.
•Your child has trouble breathing when lying down or sitting still.
•Your child is working hard to breathe. You might see skin pulling in between their ribs, below their rib cage, or above their collarbones.
•Your child's nostrils open wide when they breathe.
•Your child cannot keep any fluids down, has not had anything to drink in many hours, and has 1 or more of these:
-Your child is not as alert as usual, is very sleepy, or is much less active.
-Your child is crying all the time.
-Your infant has not had a wet diaper for over 8 hours.
-Your older child has not urinated for over 12 hours.
-Your child's skin is cool.
When should I call the doctor? —
Call for advice if:
●Your child has a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or chills.
●Your child has so much trouble breathing they cannot do their normal activities.
●Your child vomits repeatedly.
●Your child is having trouble feeding normally.
●Your child has a dry mouth.
●Your child has few or no tears when they cry.
●Your child's urine is dark.
●Your child is less active than normal.
●Your child has new or worsening symptoms.
Patient education: Whooping cough in babies and children (The Basics)
