The following are excerpts from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Pertussis Fact Sheet.

What are the signs of pertussis?

* Sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever, and a cough. After one or two weeks, the cough gets worse.

* The cough occurs in sudden, uncontrollable bursts where one cough follows the next without a break for breath.

* Many children will make a high-pitched whooping sound when breathing in after a coughing episode. Whooping is less common in infants and adults.

* After a coughing spell, the person may throw up.

* The person may look blue in the face and have a hard time breathing.

* The cough is often worse at night.

* Between coughing spells, the person seems well, but the illness is exhausting over time.

* Over time, coughing spells become less frequent, but may continue for several weeks or months.

How do you catch pertussis?

Pertussis is spread from person to person through the air. A person may catch pertussis by standing close (less than 3 feet away) to an infected person who is coughing or sneezing. A person has to breathe in droplets from an infected person to get sick. People are contagious for 21 days.

Is there a treatment for pertussis?

* Pertussis can be treated with antibiotics, but treatment may not cure the coughing right away. If treatment is started early, it may lessen the symptoms of illness.

* Pertussis bacteria die off naturally after three weeks of coughing. If antibiotics are not started within that time, they are no longer recommended.

* Antibiotics can also be given to people in close contact with those who have pertussis to prevent them from getting sick.

When and for how long can a person spread pertussis?

* Pertussis is most likely to spread to others early in the illness. Persons with pertussis can no longer spread the disease once they have completed five days of treatment with antibiotics. However, persons with pertussis who do not take antibiotics can spread the disease during the first 21 days they are sick.