Severe pertussis in infants: estimated impact of first vaccine dose at 6 versus 8 weeks in australia.
We estimated the potential benefits of advancing the first dose of pertussis vaccine for infants from 8 to 6 weeks of age, using Australian national disease databases. Infants had notification rates 3-fold greater than the general population and accounted for 52% of recorded hospitalizations. Infants 1 and 2 months of age had notification rates 3.5 times (95% CI: 2.7-4.5) higher than infants 3 to 11 months of age. Estimation of acceleration of the vaccine to 6 weeks of age reduced average notifications, hospitalizations, and hospital bed-days by 8%, 9%, and 12%, respectively, with larger reductions in an epidemic year.
Foxwell
Alice Ruth
AR
Communicable Disease and Surveillance Branch, Office of Health Protection, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government, Canberra, Australia. ruth.foxwell@health.gov.au
McIntyre
Peter
P
Quinn
Helen
H
Roper
Katrina
K
Clements
Mark S
MS
D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*
D010567:Pertussis Vaccine