WHOOPING cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, which can be spread from person to person through contaminated droplets of water produced when an infected person coughs.
WHOOPING cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, which can be spread from person to person through contaminated droplets of water produced when an infected person coughs.
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Helen McArdle
The bacterium attaches to cells that line the airways and multiplies, bringing about the severe bouts of coughing and the characteristic "whooping" sound.
The coughing is often so severe that it will cause a victim to throw up afterwards, and there are even documented cases of patients suffering rib fractures, hernias and fainting.
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