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Infant pertussis deaths in New South Wales 1996-1997

G D Williams1, N T Matthews, R K Choong

  • 1Children's Intensive Care Unit, Sydney Children's Hospital, NSW. G.Williams@unsw.edu.au

The Medical Journal of Australia
|April 29, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Australia

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • A pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic has affected south-eastern Australia since 1996.
  • Infants under six weeks old are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes.

Observation:

  • Several infant deaths occurred in New South Wales (NSW) between July 1996 and July 1997.
  • These infants, all under six weeks, died from cardiovascular compromise despite intensive care.

Findings:

  • Excessive infant mortality from pertussis highlights a critical public health issue.
  • The deaths underscore the inadequacy of current community immunity levels.

Implications:

  • There is an urgent need to improve community pertussis immunity.
  • Erythromycin treatment for suspected cases and contacts, especially infants, is crucial to prevent further infant deaths.

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