Could it be Pertussis?
According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), pertussis is a frequent cause of cough illness in adolescents and adults who are a source of transmission to infants. The most serious complications and deaths occur in young infants. One to three deaths occur each year in Canada, particularly in non-immunized or partially immunized infants. The proportion of pertussis cases in adolescents and adults has been steadily rising, from 7.3% in 1988 to 23% in 2000. In Canada, the Sentinel Health Unit Surveillance System has documented pertussis infection in 9 to 20% of non-improving cough illnesses of seven days or greater duration in adolescents and adults. Almost all pertussis cases in adolescents and adults occur in patients who have been previously vaccinated or infected with Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis in adults has been described as difficult to diagnose by John Hoey in his recent article, Pertussis in adults published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal,
