Pertussis is also known as whooping cough. It is a highly infectious bacterial disease involving the respiratory tract. It is caused by a bacterium (Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis) that is found in the mouth, nose, and throat of an infected person.
Principais fatos
- During the decade between 2010 and 2019, worldwide, an average of 170,000 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) were reported annually. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant decline was observed, with an average of 80,227 cases per year between 2020 and 2023, representing a reduction of approximately two times compared to the previous period.
- The year 2021 marked the recent historical low, with only 29,623 cases reported worldwide, and then increased in 2022 and 2023 with 63,024 and 158,910 cases respectively.
- In the Americas Region, 2012 saw the highest number of cases in the decade, with 72,328 reported cases of pertussis.
- Since 2013, there has been a progressive decrease in the number of cases reported annually in the Region until 2022, when it reached its lowest point with 3,283 cases, and then in 2023 it increased to 4,139 cases.
- There is a total of 66,118 cases in the Americas Region for the year 2024.
