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On the day you deliver your baby, you'll probably be overcome with visions of your future with your child - first smiles and steps, birthday parties and sports events, and holidays and life milestones. Your little one ever becoming seriously ill will probably be the last thing on your mind.

Whooping cough (say: hoop-ing kof) - also called pertussis (say: pur-tuh-sus) - is one of those illnesses. It's a bacterial infection of the respiratory system, which includes your lungs and breathing tubes. Whooping cough got its name because kids who had it would cough a lot, and in between coughs, they'd make a "whoop" sound when they tried to get a breath.