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Is the vaccination coverage established enough to control pertussis, or it is a re-emerging disease?

Neus Cardeñosa1, Marcos Romero, Mariela Quesada

  • 1General Subdirectorate of Surveillance and Response to Emergencies in Public Health, Department of Public Health in Catalonia, Spain. neus.cardenosa@gencat.cat

Vaccine
|February 10, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Pertussis remains a threat to infants in Catalonia despite high vaccination rates, primarily spread by adolescents and adults. Regular pertussis boosters for teens and caregivers are recommended to reduce infant infections.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) poses a significant risk to infants, causing morbidity and mortality, even in areas with high vaccination coverage.
  • Adolescent and adult populations are key reservoirs for pertussis transmission, indirectly endangering unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the epidemiology of pertussis cases in Catalonia, Spain.
  • To identify transmission dynamics and risk factors contributing to pertussis incidence in infants.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of current vaccination strategies and inform public health recommendations.

Main Methods:

  • An epidemiological study was conducted across voluntary healthcare centers in Catalonia.
  • Confirmed pertussis cases were identified from a pool of suspected cases.
  • Data collection included patient demographics, clinical presentation, and vaccination status.

Main Results:

  • Out of 465 suspected cases, 126 were confirmed pertussis cases, with 73 laboratory-confirmed.
  • The most affected age groups were infants (<4 months), adolescents, and adults.
  • Index cases were frequently infants, with a high proportion of adult and adolescent contacts identified as pertussis cases.

Conclusions:

  • The study highlights waning immunity from pertussis vaccination, necessitating boosters.
  • Adolescents and adults, particularly caregivers of infants, play a crucial role in pertussis transmission.
  • Implementing regular pertussis booster vaccinations for teenagers and adults caring for young children is crucial to decrease infant infection rates.

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