A synthesis concerning whooping cough is presented with the object of taking stock of the situation regarding the pediatric disease which, in spite of developments in antibiotic therapy and vaccine prophylaxis is still a cause for series concern in view of its all but rare complications, especially in infants of less than one year, and of the uncertainties surrounding the validity of specific vaccines. An up-date on this is certainly not superfluous, especially now when we are at a true turning point in prophylaxis with the use of acellular vaccines obtained by genetic enegenering. This is particularly interesting for the practitioner who is in direct contact with the actual situation.