![Tanya and her son, Jakob, pertussis (whooping cough), Australia](/optim/dotcom/pages/images/your-health/vaccines/pertussis/banner-pertusis_20230516132959.jpg?size=xlarge)
I saw too many young infants in the intensive care unit struggling to breathe due to pertussis. This is something that stays with you.
![Liana Clark](/optim/dotcom/pages/images/your-health/vaccines/pertussis/liana-clark02_20230516133050.jpg?size=small)
Liana Clark
Global Medical Product Lead, PPH Booster Vaccines and pediatrician
Did You Know?
40%
![A young African American mom holds her adorable young daughter in her lap at an outdoor dining table.](/optim/dotcom/pages/images/your-health/vaccines/pertussis/asthma-whooping-cough02_20230516133036.jpg?size=large)
Boosting Immunity to Pertussis at All Ages
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Pertussis is one of the most prevalent vaccine-preventable diseases circulating today.4
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One person with pertussis can infect up to 17 people.4
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It can strike at any age, hitting infants and at-risk adults hardest.5
Since the 1950s, our combination vaccines and boosters have helped protect people of all ages against pertussis.
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The Ray Family: Fighting for Life
Tanya Ray and her family are a brave example of what can happen when an infectious respiratory disease spreads through a family. Tanya has lived with asthma all her life, but 20 years ago she and her new born baby were hospitalized with whooping cough that could have ended in tragedy.
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Protecting Infants…
Pertussis can be particularly severe, and even deadly, in young infants, who are vulnerable until they complete their primary immunizations1,5.
Indeed, one study shows that approximately 50% of infants under 3 months old who get whooping cough need to be hospitalized.6 Preventing pertussis in newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated is therefore a team effort. The first step is maternal immunization.
![Mexico - portraits of children](/optim/dotcom/pages/images/your-health/vaccines/pertussis/pertussis-childhood-worldwide02_20230516133103.jpg?size=large)
… and Childhood Worldwide, Together
Despite being vaccine-preventable, pertussis remains today one of the leading causes of death in children globally.7 Adult caregivers and relatives who don't know they’re infected are a common source of transmission8.
Protecting children and populations from outbreaks is important to all of us. That’s why we’re so committed to providing effective immunization solutions for pertussis.
Explore more
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Why Vaccines Matter
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The Upshot Series
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2019 Final Pertussis Surveillance Report. Accessed March 2023.
- Glanz, J. M., et al. (2013) Association between undervaccination with diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine and risk of pertussis infection in children 3 to 36 months of age. JAMA Pediatr. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2353
- Buck PO, MeyersJL, Gordon L-D, et al. Economie burden of diagnosed pertussis among individuals with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the USA: an analysis of administrative claims. Epidemiol Infect. 2017;2109- 2121. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28462763
- Kilgore PE, Salim AM, Zervos MJ, Schmitt HJ. Pertussis: Microbiology, Disease, Treatment, and Prevention. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2016;29:449-486. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4861987
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022) 5 things to know about whooping cough. Accessed 18 October 2022
- Choe YJ, Park YJ, Jung C, Bae GR, Lee DH. National Pertussis Surveillance in South Korea 19552011: epidemiological and clinical trends. Int J Infect Dis. 2012;16:e850-e854. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22921258/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022) Pertussis in Other Countries. Accessed 18 October 2022
- H Skoff T, Kenyon C, Corocos N et al. Sources of Infant Pertussis Infection in the United States. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-1120
Page updated March 2023