Pertussis in Other Countries

Español: Tosferina en otros países

This 2000 image depicted a group of Indian children gathered together in their village located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 16 million pertussis (whooping cough) cases and about 195,000 pertussis deaths in children per year. Despite generally high coverage with childhood pertussis vaccines, pertussis is one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide. Most deaths occur in young babies who are either unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated.

Bordetella pertussis circulates worldwide, but disease rates are highest among young children in countries where vaccination coverage is low, which is primarily in the developing world. In developed countries, the incidence of pertussis is highest among unvaccinated babies and increases again among teens.

If traveling internationally, read the Travelers’ Health Yellow Book chapter on pertussis.

The Latin American Pertussis Project (LAPP) is a collaboration between the Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch within CDC’s Division of Bacterial Diseases, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Ministries of Health in select Latin American countries. The goal of LAPP is to expand the understanding of current pertussis epidemiology in Latin America in order to guide national and regional pertussis prevention and control strategies.

The following web pages provide information about LAPP partners, as well as resources on pertussis surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and vaccines.