Incidence of pertussis in patients of general practitioners in Poland
Authors
Paweł Stefanoff, Iwona Paradowska-Stankiewicz, Małgorzata Lipke, Ewa Karasek, Waldemar Rastawicki, Aleksandra Zasada, Steven Samuels, Hanna Czajka, Richard Pebody.
Reference
Epidemiol Infect 2014; 142(4): 714-23.
A prospective cohort study to measure pertussis incidence in the general community in Poland. The study received good funding, it was carefully prepared for many months and coordinated by an excellent young and ethousiastic team. We documented that pertussis cases are well diagnosed and reported in the youngest groups, but quite poorly among adults and especially among elderly. It is actually quite important piece of evidence, since parents and grandparents can involuntarily expose newborns and infants to a potentially lethal infection, before they are adequately immunized.