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Pertussis (whooping cough)
Pertussis (whooping cough)
Statutory notification alert
Pertussis infection is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
See
notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB)
.
Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for
metropolitan residents (PDF 214KB)
or
regional residents (PDF 213KB)
.
For notification of regional residents see contact details of
public health units
.
See also description of
Statutory medical notifications in Western Australia
.
Public health management
Important information
Infectious agent
:
Bordetella pertussis
bacteria.
Transmission
: Pertussis is spread to other people by droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Incubation period
: Usually 7 to 10 days (ranges from 4 to 21 days).
Infectious period
: Untreated, a person with pertussis can spread it to other people for up to three weeks after onset of cough.
Case exclusion
: People diagnosed with pertussis should stay away from school and work while infectious (up to 21 days) or until they have completed 5 days of a course of a recommended antibiotic. It is particularly important not to expose young children (e.g. at child care centres) to infection. See
Pertussis – National Guidelines for Public Health Units (external site)
.
Contact exclusion
: Exclude unimmunised contacts from childcare. See
Pertussis – National Guidelines for Public Health Units (external site)
.
Treatment
: Antibiotic treatment as recommended by the doctor.
Immunisation
: Recommended that children be vaccinated according to the
Western Australian vaccination schedule
. Vaccination is also recommended for adults planning a pregnancy; parents of infants and other household carers, including grand-parents; and for adults who work with young children (e.g. child-care and health-care workers) See
Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th edition, Department of Health (external site)
.
Case follow-up
: Is conducted by
public health units (Healthy WA)
and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate.
Guidelines for health providers
Western Australian vaccination schedule
Pertussis fact sheet (Healthy WA)
Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th edition, Department of Health (external site)
Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners
Guidelines for public health units
OD 0660/16 - Adoption by WA Health of ‘Series of National Guidelines’ (SoNGS) produced by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia for public health management of communicable diseases (external site)
Pertussis – National Guidelines for Public Health Units (external site)
Pertussis fact sheet (Healthy WA)
Pertussis public health unit checklist (Word 565KB)
Pertussis case investigation form (Word 295KB)
Notifiable disease data and reports
Up-to-date pertussis notification data
General infectious disease reports
Produced by
Public Health
Related links
Whooping cough (pertussis) (Healthy WA)