Clinical Scorecard: Regional Insights and Focus Areas for Pertussis Management in Latin America: Key Outcomes from the Global Pertussis Initiative

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Pertussis is a notifiable disease in 10 Latin American countries but underrecognition and limited lab capacity hinder robust epidemiological data collection.
• Infants receive a 3-dose primary vaccination series plus ≥2 boosters; vaccination in pregnancy is advised or mandated except in Paraguay and Venezuela, but coverage is suboptimal.
• Global Pertussis Initiative recommends strengthening primary series coverage, universal boosters for preschoolers, adolescents, adults, and vaccination in pregnancy or cocooning strategies.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as primary laboratory confirmation method for suspected pertussis cases.
• Employ culture and serology as additional confirmatory tests where available.
• Apply age-based clinical case definitions in some countries to guide diagnosis.

Management

• Administer a 3-dose primary vaccination series in infancy followed by at least two booster doses.
• Promote vaccination during pregnancy to protect newborns.
• Implement universal booster vaccinations for preschoolers, adolescents, and adults.
• Use cocooning vaccination strategy where vaccination in pregnancy is not practiced.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Maintain pertussis as a notifiable disease with mandatory reporting.
• Utilize sentinel surveillance networks and national reference laboratories for active and passive case monitoring.
• Conduct laboratory confirmation of suspected cases to improve surveillance accuracy.

Risks

• Suboptimal vaccination coverage in pregnancy increases risk of transmission to vulnerable infants.
• Underrecognition of pertussis in adolescents and adults may contribute to ongoing transmission.
• Limited laboratory capacity and supplies impede accurate epidemiological assessment.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Infants, pregnant people, adolescents, adults, and close contacts of infants in Latin America

Vaccination strategies including primary series, boosters, and vaccination in pregnancy are critical to reduce pertussis burden; coverage rates remain suboptimal especially for pregnancy vaccination.

Clinical Best Practices

• Educate healthcare providers and the public on asymptomatic transmission by mothers and close contacts.
• Strengthen vaccination coverage for primary series and boosters across all age groups.
• Improve laboratory capacity for PCR and culture to enhance diagnosis and surveillance.
• Tailor vaccination policies considering local epidemiology, political will, and resource availability.

References

• Global Pertussis Initiative official website