Pertussis in Germany: regional differences in management and vaccination status of hospitalized cases

The incidence of pertussis requiring hospitalization in children younger than 16 years was estimated by the use of an active surveillance-system. Of special interest were differences between West and East Germany following different vaccination strategies before reunification. In 1997 and 1998, 754...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2001-08, Vol.127 (1), p.63-71
Main Authors: JURETZKO, P., FABIAN-MARX, T., HAASTERT, B., GIANI, G., VON KRIES, R., WIRSING VON KÖNIG, C. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Age distribution
Age groups
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Bordetella pertussis
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Epidemiology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germany - epidemiology
Hospitalization
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Human mycoses
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infants
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Mycoses
Mycoses of the skin
Pertussis Vaccine - administration & dosage
Pertussis Vaccine - immunology
Pneumonia - etiology
Poisson Distribution
Serology
Symptoms
Vaccination
Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies
Whooping cough
Whooping Cough - complications
Whooping Cough - epidemiology
Whooping Cough - immunology
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Summary:The incidence of pertussis requiring hospitalization in children younger than 16 years was estimated by the use of an active surveillance-system. Of special interest were differences between West and East Germany following different vaccination strategies before reunification. In 1997 and 1998, 754 pertussis cases required a total of 11151 hospital inpatient days. The incidence of hospitalized pertussis was 2·68/100000 person years and this was significantly higher in East than in West Germany. In East Germany an unusually high percentage of hospitalized cases was found in children aged 6–15 years (45% versus 13% in West Germany). The difference between the regions may be due either to a different perception of the disease or to an increased immunity induced by prior disease or vaccination. In East Germany, pertussis was rare until reunification but it has increased significantly since then. Older children may thus represent a population at risk of pertussis having not had previous exposure to pertussis antigens.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268801005593