title: Severe pertussis in infants: estimated impact of first vaccine dose at 6 versus 8 weeks in australia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Communicable Disease and Surveillance Branch, Office of Health Protection, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government, Canberra, Australia. ruth.foxwell@health.gov.au
authors.forename: Alice Ruth
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Foxwell
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McIntyre
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roper
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Clements
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D010567:Pertussis Vaccine