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Family members pass whooping cough to young infants

Infection Control Monitor, April 6, 2007

Infants, who are to too young to be vaccinated themselves, most often catch pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, from members of their own household, especially infected parents, researchers reported.

A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health found that parents were the source of pertussis in 55% of all infants. Household members, including siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents, were responsible for 75% of pertussis cases. The results appeared in the April issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

Rates of pertussis have been steadily increasing, with the number of reported cases in the United States tripling in the past two decades. The study supports the recommendation of a panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all adolescents and adults up to 64 be vaccinated, as well as older people if they have close contact with infants, reported The New York Times.

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