Pertussis in infants in Nordic countries

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Immunization Practices

Background:

• Pertussis (whooping cough) remains a significant public health concern, particularly for infants.
• Effective control requires a comprehensive life-course immunization approach.
• Understanding pertussis incidence in relation to vaccination strategies is vital for Nordic countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review pertussis incidence among infants in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden (2014-2018).
• To analyze national surveillance systems and infant vaccination schedules.
• To contextualize pertussis incidence within existing immunization policies.

Main Methods:

• Collected data on pertussis incidence, vaccination schedules, and DTaP vaccine coverage (infancy).
• Utilized publicly available data sources and expert opinions on national surveillance.
• Compared vaccination schedules, including adolescent boosters and maternal immunization recommendations.

Main Results:

• Infant vaccination schedules and DTaP vaccine coverage were similar across the four Nordic countries.
• Denmark, Sweden, and Finland reported mean pertussis incidences of 168, 76, and 35 per 100,000 infant-years, respectively.
• Adolescent booster recommendations were present in all countries except Denmark; maternal immunization was not recommended in any.

Conclusions:

• The higher pertussis incidence in Denmark may be linked to the absence of adolescent booster vaccination recommendations.
• National surveillance systems showed no systematic differences across the studied countries.
• Further research is warranted to investigate the impact of adolescent boosters on pertussis control.