摘要：Pertussis or whooping cough remains one of the most poorly controlled vaccine-preventablediseases across the world. Universal vaccination has dramatically reduced itsincidence but has failed to bring it completely under control. In the last decades, changesin pertussis epidemiology have been noted, likely related to the introduction of acellularpertussis vaccines. Increasing incidence is recorded among adolescents and adults whohave become a reservoir for transmission to unimmunized infants, who are at risk ofsevere disease and death. In Italy, experimental evidences suggest a sustained circulationof Bordetella pertussis in the adult population and a significant health burden of pertussisamong infants less than six months of age. Public health systems are currently exploringnew vaccination strategies, including a cocooning strategy to prevent the transmission ofthe disease from family members to the newborn and vaccination of pregnant mothers totransmit protective antibodies to the offspring, and neonatal vaccination. An integratedapproach for pertussis control and prevention is needed to enhance the current surveillancesystem and provide an accurate estimate of the real burden of pertussis in ourCountry, particularly among infants.
