Reducing the risk of pertussis in newborn infants

摘要

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a respiratory tract infection characterised by a paroxysmal cough, caused by Bordetella pertussis, a gram negative coccobacillus. The disease can affect individuals of all ages, even though the most severe complications and mortality occur more frequently in early infancy. Bordetella pertussis is an exclusively human pathogen; hence elimination of the disease by mass vaccination should theoretically be an achievable objective, even though neither natural infection nor vaccination confer permanent immunity. The implementation of well-conducted vaccination strategies in various countries has not prevented the re-emergence of pertussis f 1, 2] particularly in 2 age groups: those over 10 years and infants aged less than 5 months [3].