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Pertussis infection in fully vaccinated children in day-care centers, Israel
1Department of Clinical Microbiology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. srugoi@tx.technion.ac.il
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|September 22, 2000
Insights
Fully vaccinated children exposed to pertussis may be asymptomatic carriers. Even if infected with Bordetella pertussis, they might not meet the WHO case definition, posing a hidden risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Pertussis (whooping cough) remains a concern despite widespread vaccination.
- Asymptomatic or mild infections in vaccinated individuals can contribute to disease transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of fully vaccinated children as potential asymptomatic reservoirs for Bordetella pertussis.
Main Methods:
- Studied 46 fully vaccinated children in day-care centers following exposure to a fatal pertussis case.
- Tested children for Bordetella pertussis infection.
Main Results:
- Five children tested positive for Bordetella pertussis.
- Only two of these five met the World Health Organization's clinical case definition for pertussis.
- This suggests a high rate of subclinical infection among vaccinated children.
Conclusions:
- Fully vaccinated children can harbor Bordetella pertussis without exhibiting classic pertussis symptoms.
- These children may act as asymptomatic reservoirs, potentially spreading pertussis within communities.
- Current case definitions may underestimate the true burden of pertussis in vaccinated populations.
Abstract:
We tested 46 fully vaccinated children in two day-care centers in Israel who were exposed to a fatal case of pertussis infection. Only two of five children who tested positive for Bordetella pertussis met the World Health Organization's case definition for pertussis. Vaccinated children may be asymptomatic reservoirs for infection.