EPIREVIEW. Pertussis in New South Wales, 1993-2005: the impact of vaccination policy on pertussis epidemiology.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether changes in vaccination policy have affected the epidemiology of pertussis in NSW between 1993 and 2005.


METHODS
Surveillance data from the NSW Notifiable Diseases Database was reviewed for the period.


RESULTS
35,695 cases of pertussis were notified; annual incidence rates varied from 18.4 to 84.2 per 100,000 people. The highest rates of pertussis were consistently found in infants aged 0-6 months. Rates of disease in other age groups changed markedly over the study period, with high rates currently observed in adult age groups.


CONCLUSIONS
New strategies may be needed to control pertussis in infants and in adults who now comprise the largest proportion of cases.
Viney
Kerri A
KA
Communicable Diseases Branch, NSW Department of Health, Australia. kvine@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
McAnulty
Jeremy M
JM
Campbell-Lloyd
Sue
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018563:Disease Notification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*
D010567:Pertussis Vaccine