The epidemiological profiles of hospitalized pertussis patients in Babylon Province

الملخص EN

Objective : the epidemiological features of 75 serologically confirmed hospitalized pertussis cases were analyzed.

This study aimed to describe the epidemiological features of hospitalized pertussis patients in Babylon-Iraq, in order to determine the epidemiological factors that affect the severity of this disease in this country.

Methods and patients : serum samples obtained from 136 hospitalized suspected pertussis patients admitted to Babylon Maternity and Children hospital in Hilla-Babylon province-Iraq in the period between February 2004 to January 2005.

Anti-Bordetella pertussis IgG and IgA were measured by ELISA technique for all those patients.

Results : only 75 (55 %) (Age range 56 days to 10 years) cases of the 136 hospitalized suspected pertussis patients, fulfilled the diagnostic criteria in this study.

53 % of all cases were reported in patients younger than 1 year.

The male to female ratio was (1.14 : 1).

A significant rise of hospitalized pertussis cases were observed in the period between March and July.

83 % of patients reported as a rural area resident of Babylon province compared with 17 % lived in urban area.

60 % of the patients were unvaccinated, while 29 % and 5 % cases were received 1 and 2 doses of DTP vaccine respectively.

96 % the unvaccinated patients were old enough to be vaccinated.

Apnea, pneumonia, seizures and death cases were reported in 88 %, 29 %, 18 % and 1.3 % of all pertussis cases respectively.

Most of the complications were occurred in unvaccinated rural area residents and less than 1 year patients.

Conclusion : pertussis continues to cause a significant morbidity and occasional mortality in Iraq, with a higher incidence of pertussis complications compared with other countries.

DTP vaccine and its booster doses should be given at proper time in order to prevent sever cases of pertussis, and special attention should be given to DTP vaccination coverage in rural area to control the spread of this disease and it's complications in Babylon province.