A heartbreaking video of a young baby with whooping cough has received thousands of views, showing parents the devastating effects of not vaccinating their children.
Whooping cough - technically called pertussis - is a highly contagious bacterial and respiratory infection of the lungs and airways which causes vomiting.
The video, uploaded by Mayo Clinic in USA on YouTube, shows a baby girl struggling to breathe and unable to control her coughing while being cradled by her mother in an Intensive Care Unit.
The baby, cradled in her mother's arms, begins to cry during the two-minute video and the distinct 'whooping' sound can be seen when she tries to breathe in again following a coughing fit.
Near the end, the young baby slowly begins to regain her breath, stops crying and manages to fall asleep in her mother's arms.
The video, which has 568,000 views, is a harsh reminder than getting babies vaccinated against whooping cough could save their lives.
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According to the NHS, the condition usually begins with a persistent dry and irritating cough that progresses to intense bouts of coughing.
The gasping for breath after one of these coughing bouts causes a distinctive "whooping" noise, which is how the condition gets its name.
Other symptoms, the NHS states, include a runny nose, raised temperature and vomiting after coughing.
The coughing can last for around three months, and babies under 12 months are at greater risk of catching whooping cough unless they have had two doses of the vaccine at four months old.
