Two infants die of whooping cough in Louisiana as cases climb nationally
By , CNN
In his 20 years working in pediatric infectious disease, Dr. John Schieffelin has never seen another illness like pertussis.
Also known as whooping cough, it’s a contagious respiratory illness that can develop into a painful, full-body cough. The coughing fits can be severe, often accompanied by a whooping sound when the person tries to catch their breath. And it’s continuous, even if a person needs to be placed on a ventilator, says Schieffelin, an associate professor of pediatrics at Tulane University.
