Pertussis surveillance in a children hospital in Bangkok, Thailand

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Pertussis, or whooping cough, remains a significant public health concern globally.
• Persistent cough in children can be caused by various factors, including bacterial infections.
• Understanding pertussis epidemiology in specific populations is vital for effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence, clinical presentation, and associated costs of pertussis in Thai children experiencing persistent cough.
• To identify risk factors and clinical features associated with pertussis in this pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study enrolled children aged 0-18 years with cough lasting ≥7 days.
• Clinical symptoms like paroxysm, whooping, and post-tussive emesis were recorded.
• Nasopharyngeal swabs were analyzed for pertussis using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Main Results:

• Pertussis was confirmed in 19.6% of children (28/143).
• The majority of cases (75%) occurred in infants unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated.
• Key symptoms included paroxysm (96%) and post-tussive emesis (93%); whooping was less common (18%).
• Pertussis cases had higher rates of household contact, hospitalization, and longer cough duration.

Conclusions:

• Pertussis is a frequent cause of persistent cough in Thai children, particularly in unvaccinated infants.
• Clinical features like paroxysm and post-tussive emesis are strong indicators.
• The findings highlight the critical need for maternal pertussis immunization to protect vulnerable infants.