Clinical and therapeutic epidemiological profile of infants with pertussis in Tunisia

Abstract

Aims : Pertussis is a contagious disease caused by Bordetella Pertussis that can be prevented by vaccination. Through a series of infants hospitalized pertussis we report the evolutionary modalities of the disease and we discuss the preventive strategy in Tunisia. Methods : This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at the pediatric department of a university hospital in Sousse over a period of one year (2014). Results : We collected 26 cases of whooping cough during the study period with an average age at admission was 60.3 days. Pertussis vaccination was not received in 70% of cases. Three patients presented with malignant pertussis with one death. Conclusion: In recent years, we have seen a re-emergence of the disease in the different countries with particularly severe clinical signs in infants under three months of age, who are unimmunized and exposed to unvaccinated adults.