Abstract
Throughout the year, I see many children with upper respiratory symptoms and coughs. One child stands out in my mind: a 10 year old boy who was afebrile and came to me for cough drops several days in a row. Within a week his cough was more forceful and frequent. He stated his mother was giving him cough syrup. He looked exhausted. While assessing him I witnessed an episode of paroxysmal coughing followed by a long inspiratory phase sounding like a high-pitched whoop. His teacher was very concerned because she thought he was going to vomit. On inquiry, I learned others in his family were coughing. He had not seen a doctor. I was suspicions of pertussis, although I knew his vaccinations were up-to-date.
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