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Attack rates of notified whooping cough in immunised and unimmunised children
Insights
Current whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines offer significant protection for young children. Unvaccinated children experienced much higher attack rates compared to their vaccinated peers in a recent study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Whooping cough (pertussis) remains a concern in pediatric populations.
- Assessing vaccine effectiveness in real-world settings is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of whooping cough in young children based on immunization status.
- To evaluate the protective effect of current vaccines against pertussis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of whooping cough notifications from multiple health authorities.
- Comparison of attack rates between fully immunized and non-fully immunized children under six years old.
Main Results:
- Children who were not fully immunized had significantly higher whooping cough attack rates.
- Attack rates were substantially lower in children who had received the vaccine.
Conclusions:
- Current pertussis vaccines provide substantial protection against the disease in young children.
- Maintaining high immunization coverage is vital for controlling whooping cough outbreaks.
Abstract:
The incidence of whooping cough among immunised children under the age of six and among children of the same age who were not fully immunised was ascertained by analysing whooping-cough notifications from several health authorities. In the first three years of the study the results showed that attack rates were much higher in children who were not fully immunised than in those who were. This finding suggests that current vaccines provide young children with substantial protection against whooping cough.