WHO/Yoshi Shimizu
TB patient at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva
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Pertussis

    Overview

    Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. In 2018, there were more than 151 000 cases of pertussis globally.

    Pertussis spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. The disease is most dangerous in infants, and is a significant cause of disease and death in this age group.

    The first symptoms generally appear 7 to 10 days after infection. They include a mild fever, runny nose and cough, which in typical cases gradually develops into a hacking cough followed by whooping (hence the common name of whooping cough). Pneumonia is a relatively common complication, and seizures and brain disease occur rarely.

    People with pertussis are most contagious up to about 3 weeks after the cough begins, and many children who contract the infection have coughing spells that last 4 to 8 weeks. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.
    Prevention

    The best way to prevent pertussis is through immunization. The three-dose primary series diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) (- containing) vaccines decrease the risk of severe pertussis in infancy. In 2018, 86% of the global target population had received the recommended three doses of DTP-containing vaccine during infancy.

    WHO recommends the first dose be administered as early as 6 weeks of age; with subsequent doses given 4-8 weeks apart, at age 10-14 weeks and 14-18 weeks. A booster dose is recommended, preferably during the second year of life. Based on local epidemiology, further booster doses may be warranted later in life.

    Vaccination of pregnant women is effective in preventing disease in infants too young to be vaccinated. National programmes may consider vaccination of pregnant women with pertussis-containing vaccine as a strategy additional to routine primary infant pertussis vaccination in countries or settings with high or increasing infant morbidity/mortality from pertussis.

    Latest publications

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    Laboratory manual for the diagnosis of whooping cough caused by Bordetella pertussis-Bordetella parapertussis.

    Whooping cough is a worldwide infectious disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis. It is a respiratory disease...

    Global Vaccine Action Plan and Decade of Vaccines Review and lessons learned reports

    The catalyst for GVAP was the call by Bill and Melinda Gates at the 2010 World Economic Forum for the next decade to be the ‘Decade of Vaccines’. Following...

    The immunological basis for immunization series

    Bordetella pertussis is a strictly human pathogen with multiple biological activities. The bacteria are transmitted by droplets and the infectious dose...

    Report on the immunization and vaccines related implementation research (‎IVIR)‎: Advisory Committee Meeting, Geneva, 9-11 June 2015

    The Immunization and Vaccines related Implementation Research (IVIR) Advisory Committee (AC) meeting report summarizes the deliberations of the Committee...

    Country profiles

    Country profiles present selected data, statistics and information to provide national health profiles at given points in time.
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