Global burden of pertussis: signs of hope but need for accurate data

Whooping cough or pertussis is special among vaccine-preventable diseases because neither infection nor vaccinations confer lifelong or long-lasting protection. Young infants are particularly vulnerable to the infection, and they carry the greatest burden of severe cases and deaths. Immunisation with whole-cell or acellular pertussis vaccines has reduced the number of notified cases and deaths in many parts of the world. However, WHO has long tried to tackle the worldwide pertussis morbidity and mortality in infants and children.