title: Pertussis. A reemerging and an underreported infectious disease.
abstract: Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly infectious, vaccine preventable disease. The incidence of the disease  has greatly been reduced since the introduction of the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine. Pertussis resurgence has been observed in highly vaccinated populations of Western countries since 1990s. Poor vaccine quality, waning vaccine induced immunity, pathogen adaptation, and enhanced surveillance as well as advancements in diagnostic facilities are some of the reasons considered responsible for the increased reporting of pertussis cases. Pertussis may have been ignored and unnoticed due to its atypical manifestations in partially immunized population or people with waning immunity. We review the reports of pertussis resurgence from different countries and attempt to investigate reasons behind the reappearance of the disease. Pertussis is still an under reported disease and the available data from the developing countries is not a true picture of the story.  Therefore, developing countries need to improve their surveillance systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Haripur, Hattar Road, Haripur 22620, Pakistan. Tel. +92 995615394. E-mail. mirwah2000@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: Muhammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.forename: Noureen F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Bana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007223:Infant; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine