[Pertussis or whooping cough].

Pertussis is a very contagious disease characterized by severe coughing and caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Among vaccine-preventable diseases, pertussis is one of the most commonly occurring in the United States. The disease can be very serious in children less than 1 year of age when it can cause lung infections and, less often, seizures or inflammation of the brain. In rare cases, pertussis can result in death in children less than 1 year of age.