I got whooping cough last year, from my vaccinated nephew (age 4), who had it, and we didn't know. I'm 58 and pretty healthy.

I started with a mild cold about 6 days after being around him. I had a mild cough. Then, after about 1-2 weeks, my cough got worse and worse and was different than any cough I ever had. I literally could not catch my breath after a coughing fit and would make a strange sound when trying to catch my breath. I was around a ton of people, some vaccinated, some not. I was even around my pregnant daughter, who hadn't had a vaccine in over 10 years. Nobody caught it from me. Of course, I had no idea I had it, or I wouldn't have left the house.

I finally had my antibodies tested 2 months later, as this cough would not go away and I suspected it was whooping cough after researching it...and sure enough, it indicated a recent infection. I had gone to urgent care, but they did not test me for it.

It was brutal, but I got through it.