Pertussis: Coughing Your Way to Mastery

Pertussis, or as it is commonly known, whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness. Infants carry the burden of both significant morbidity and mortality from pertussis. Diagnosis can be complex because of the variability in symptoms and their varying onset, along with nonspecific symptoms of early disease. Luckily, there is an effective vaccine to prevent this serious infection. Therefore, as a nurse practitioner, we need confidence not only in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease but also in advocating for immunization to prevent infection.