Bordetella pertussis and Whooping Cough

Please view at 720p. This animation describes the process of infection of the airways by Bordetella pertussis, a bacterium which causes whooping cough. It specifically details how the bacterium damages ciliated airway cells, impairing normal respiratory function, leading to the severe coughing fits characteristic of whooping cough. Vaccination is vital to protect against this highly contagious disease, not only for ourselves, but also to protect those who cannot tolerate vaccination. Thank you to Sonya Pemberton, Creative Director of Genepool Productions for use of whooping cough footage from the documentary ’Jabbed- love, fear and vaccines’. For more information on ’Jabbed- love, fear and vaccines’ please visit This animation was created for the Gene Technology Access Centre, Melbourne, Australia () and was officially selected for the Raw Science Film Festival 2016. This animation won an Award of Exceptional Merit for Environmental/