Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Reportable by Laboratories and Providers

About this Reportable Disease

Infectious agent: Bordetella pertussis

Description of illness: Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a vaccine-preventable respiratory illness caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis is extremely contagious and is spread from person to person by coughing or sneezing. Symptoms usually develop within 5-10 days after exposure, but sometimes up to 3 weeks later. During the early stage of the disease, symptoms include runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough. These symptoms can last for 1-2 weeks. Later symptoms include the gradual onset of coughing, which develops into fits of rapid coughs, sometimes with a classic inspiratory whoop as the patient gasps for air, and sometimes with post-coughing vomiting and exhaustion. The cough can persist for 6 weeks or longer. In small infants, the cough can be minimal or nonexistent and they may become apneic (stop breathing). Infants younger than 1 year, especially the youngest infants and those who are incompletely immunized, are the most likely to have serious illness and require hospitalization. Deaths are rare, but most likely to occur in infants under 3 months of age.

Interactive Disease Data


Laboratory Reporting for this Disease

Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.

Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers

Clinical Summary

  • Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, spread person-to-person via respiratory droplets.
  • It often begins with mild cold-like symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever), then progresses to intense bouts of coughing.
  • Characteristic signs include rapid “paroxysms” of coughs often followed by a high-pitched “whoop” on inhalation, vomiting after cough spells, extreme fatigue, and in infants, possible apnea or cyanosis.
  • The disease is particularly dangerous for young infants (especially those not fully vaccinated) and can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, seizures, or even death.
  • Treatment involves timely antibiotics to reduce transmission, plus supportive care; prevention is chiefly through vaccination and booster doses to maintain immunity. 

Healthcare Provider Reporting

Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.

Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:

• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857

• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.

• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting. 

• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link. 

Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public

What It Is

Pertussis (whooping cough) is an acute, contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.

It affects people of all ages but is most dangerous in infants (especially those too young to be fully vaccinated).

Transmission occurs person-to-person via respiratory droplets (coughing/sneezing), and there is no known animal or vector reservoir.

The disease typically follows an incubation period of about 5-10 days (can be up to ~21 days) after exposure. 

The infection goes through stages (catarrhal → paroxysmal → convalescent) and can last for weeks to months, depending on the severity and age of the patient.

Types

Although the CDC doesn’t enumerate “types of pertussis disease” in the same way as, e.g., bacterial serotypes, it does highlight types of vaccines: namely, the combination vaccines that cover pertussis & diphtheria & tetanus.

The two main vaccine categories are: DTaP (for younger children) and Tdap (for older children/adults), which include protection against pertussis.

These vaccines work well, but protection wanes over time — so being up-to-date matters.

From a disease-perspective, there is also mention of milder pertussis-like illness caused by Bordetella parapertussis (and other related species) — although the CDC focuses on B. pertussis. 

Because of the above, one might think of “classic pertussis” vs “atypical/milder pertussis‐like cough” in older children/adults whose immunity has waned or who weren’t vaccinated. (While not explicitly labelled “types” in the CDC page, this is a useful clinical distinction.)

Signs and Symptoms

Early (catarrhal) stage: symptoms often resemble a common cold — runny or stuffy nose (coryza), sneezing, mild cough, low‐grade or no fever.Paroxysmal stage: rapid bursts of many coughs (sometimes up to a minute), often followed by a characteristic “whoop” sound as the person breathes in (though not always present).

Post‐cough symptoms: vomiting after coughing fits, turning red or blue in the face, and extreme fatigue from repeated spells.

In infants especially, they may not “whoop” at all; instead, they may have apnea (pauses in breathing), poor feeding, cyanosis (turning blue), or exhaustion.

Convalescent (recovery) stage: coughing gradually improves but may persist for weeks; complications may arise depending on age and health status.

Treatment

Early antibiotic therapy (commonly macrolides like Azithromycin, Erythromycin, or Clarithromycin) is recommended to decrease spread and reduce infectiousness, but once the paroxysmal cough is well advanced, antibiotics may not change the length of cough much.

Supportive care is important: rest, nutrition/hydration, and monitoring for complications (especially in infants).

Prevention is key: vaccination (DTaP/Tdap) is the best defense.

Post-exposure antimicrobial prophylaxis may be recommended for close contacts, especially high-risk individuals (infants, pregnant persons, immunocompromised), to reduce spread.

Because protection wanes and the cough can be prolonged, monitoring and possibly hospitalization (for infants) may be required; early treatment + prevention reduce severity & complications. 

This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM