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Chitkara AJ, Balasubramanian S, Choudhury J, Dash N, Forsyth K, Heininger U, Hozbor DF, Muloiwa R, Tan T, von König CHW. Pertussis in India: Past, Present, and Future. Indian J Pediatr 2023; 90:393-399. [PMID: 36522518 DOI: 10.1007/s12098-022-04384-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
While vaccines have markedly reduced the incidence of pertussis, a resurgence has occurred in many countries. Until recently, pertussis has not been recognized as an important public health challenge in India due to its successful infant immunization program. However, India still accounts for a large proportion of the world's cases, and increasing reports of pertussis in other countries and in neonates have regenerated interest in pertussis among Indian authorities. The Global Pertussis Initiative (GPI) Annual Meeting was held virtually in October 2020, in part, to gain a better understanding of the epidemiology and disease burden of pertussis and to explore opportunities to improve its prevention in India. There was a consensus that pertussis cases are being underestimated in India due to multiple factors, such as a reliance on passive surveillance and diagnostic challenges. India offers both whole-cell pertussis and acellular pertussis vaccines, but vaccine coverage is inconsistent across regions due to differences in vaccine availability, access to health care, and regional administrative challenges. This report summarizes the outcomes and considers the key clinical implications of this meeting. The GPI agreed that active surveillance of pertussis in India would be optimal and recommended several studies, including serosurveillance among women of reproductive age to assess the prevalence of recent pertussis infection and to enable policy changes that will enhance the rational use of acellular and whole-cell vaccines. It also recommended engagement with nongovernmental organizations in order to encourage pregnancy immunization in the public sector. To achieve effective control of pertussis in the future, the GPI recognizes there are opportunities to characterize the burden of pertussis in India appropriately and increase vaccination coverage in multiple age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Chitkara
- Department of Pediatrics, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, 118, Vaishali, Pitampura, Delhi, 110088, India.
| | - S Balasubramanian
- Department of Pediatrics, Kanchi Kamkoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Nabaneeta Dash
- Department of Pediatrics, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Kevin Forsyth
- Department of Pediatrics, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ulrich Heininger
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, University of Basel Children's Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniela Flavia Hozbor
- Department of Biological Sciences, Laboratorio VacSal. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Rudzani Muloiwa
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Tina Tan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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