WebMD Answers
Whooping cough is caused by bordetella pertussis, a bacteria that can live in the human respiratory tract. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is spread through secretions from sneezes and coughs. Most pertussis infections are passed between family members and household contact.
Whooping cough is highly contagious. If one person has the pertussis bacteria, each unvaccinated household contact has up to 90% chance of catching the infection as well.
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