What type of medication is commonly used to treat whooping cough?

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is typically treated with antibiotics. These medications are effective in reducing the duration of the illness and are particularly important for preventing the spread of the infection to others, especially in the early stages when the symptoms are mild and resemble a common cold. Antibiotics work by targeting the bacteria responsible for the infection, helping to clear it from the body.

While antihistamines may be used to alleviate allergy symptoms or runny noses, they are not effective against bacterial infections like whooping cough. Bronchodilators are medications that help open the airways in conditions such as asthma but do not treat the underlying infection in whooping cough. Vaccines are crucial for prevention and are part of routine childhood immunization schedules, but they are not a treatment for someone who is already infected with the virus. Hence, antibiotics are the appropriate intervention once someone has been diagnosed with whooping cough.