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[Pertussis]
C Melino1, F Venza, A Ippoliti
1Istituto d'Igiene G. Sanarelli, Università La Sapienza, Roma.
Insights
Whooping cough (pertussis) remains a significant pediatric concern despite advances in antibiotics and vaccines. This review updates practitioners on pertussis, focusing on complications and evolving vaccine technologies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Context:
- Pertussis (whooping cough) presents ongoing challenges in pediatric healthcare.
- Despite antibiotic therapy and vaccine prophylaxis, severe complications, particularly in infants, persist.
- Uncertainties regarding the efficacy and duration of protection from existing vaccines necessitate updated information.
Purpose:
- To synthesize current knowledge on whooping cough (pertussis) in pediatric populations.
- To evaluate the status of pertussis, including its complications and vaccine effectiveness.
- To provide an update for healthcare practitioners on pertussis management and prophylaxis.
Summary:
- This review synthesizes information on whooping cough, highlighting its continued relevance as a pediatric disease.
- It addresses the persistent complications, especially in infants, and discusses vaccine efficacy concerns.
- The update focuses on the transition towards genetic engineering-derived acellular vaccines for pertussis prophylaxis.
Impact:
- Provides a timely overview of whooping cough for medical practitioners.
- Informs healthcare providers about the latest developments in pertussis vaccine technology.
- Aims to improve the management and prevention strategies for pediatric pertussis.
Abstract:
A synthesis concerning whooping cough is presented with the object of taking stock of the situation regarding the pediatric disease which, in spite of developments in antibiotic therapy and vaccine prophylaxis is still a cause for series concern in view of its all but rare complications, especially in infants of less than one year, and of the uncertainties surrounding the validity of specific vaccines. An up-date on this is certainly not superfluous, especially now when we are at a true turning point in prophylaxis with the use of acellular vaccines obtained by genetic enegenering. This is particularly interesting for the practitioner who is in direct contact with the actual situation.