High admission rate of infants and young children with whooping cough: clinical aspects and preventive implications.
Eighty-five children hospitalized with clinical whooping cough over an 8 month period were studied. Of the 53 cultured for Bordetella pertussis, 29 (55%) were culture positive. There was a preponderance of young infants who required a long hospitalization (35% were less than 3 months of age). Many of these children had apnoeic attacks requiring active intervention. Pulmonary atelectasis-consolidation was found in 46% in spite of negative viral and bacterial studies. Over-crowding and poor socioeconomic status was noted frequently in those hospitalized. This group makes the least use of child health services, and has the lowest rate of immunizations.
D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009520:New Zealand; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control