Pertussis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2021
In 2021, 1 578 cases of pertussis were reported by 29 EU/EEA countries.
Executive summary
- Three countries (Austria, Germany and Poland) accounted for 69% of all reported cases.
- The notification rate in 2022 was 0.4 cases per 100 000 population, which was the lowest rate in over a decade.
- Infants below the age of one year were the most affected age group, with the highest notification rate followed by 1–4-year-olds. Individuals ≥ 15 years of age accounted for 77% of all cases reported.
- The clinical presentation of pertussis in adolescents and adults may be mild and is often not recognised, which contributes to bacterial circulation in the population. This poses a transmission risk to infants who are too young to have completed the primary pertussis vaccination series.
- The objectives of pertussis prevention and control include prevention of severe disease and deaths among infants < six months of age through well-adapted and implemented vaccination programmes. As of April 2024, 22 countries have implemented maternal immunisation programmes. The vaccination programmes in ten countries include more than one booster dose - including the pertussis component – in individuals above the age of 18 years.
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