There's been an outbreak of a dangerous respiratory illness in the UK called the 100-day cough.
At the start, the symptoms resemble the common cold with a runny nose, cough, sore throat and even muscle aches.
The difference with the 100-day cough, also known as whooping cough, is at around the 2-week mark, the cough starts to intensify, coming in these bouts which can even cause vomiting and this characteristic whoop sound when people breathe in.
These coughing fits can be so severe that they can lead to broken ribs.
This can be incredibly infectious and the bacteria can stay alive on surfaces for a while and if babies under one get infected, one out of three of them will need hospital care.
That's how unwell they get.
In just January this year, there were around 70% of the cases that were in the whole of 2023.
This increasing number is likely because of the rising minority of patients who are refusing the protective whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy and at the preschool booster, putting the rest of the population at risk.
Antibiotics can help in the first three weeks.
Have you coughed like this?
