Atypical pertussis: challenges in diagnosis, prevention and response strategies
10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20250422-00341
- VernacularTitle:非典型百日咳的现状与挑战及应对策略
- Author:
Qinghong MENG
1
;
Wei SHI
1
;
Wei GAO
1
;
Kaihu YAO
1
Author Information
1. 国家儿童医学中心 首都医科大学附属北京儿童医院 北京市儿科研究所感染与微生物研究室，国家呼吸系统疾病临床医学研究中心 儿科学国家重点学科 儿科重大疾病研究教育部重点实验室 北京重大呼吸道传染病研究中心，北京 100045
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Pertussis;
Atypical pertussis;
Pertussis resurgence;
Prevention and control
- From:
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine
2025;59(11):1821-1827
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The number of pertussis cases reported through hospital-based passive surveillance severely underestimated the actual disease incidence. This may be due to factors such as atypical symptoms in the vaccine era, limited diagnostic criteria, insufficient clinician awareness, poor access to diagnostic technologies, and problems in monitoring and reporting management. Atypical pertussis often lacks specific symptoms or signs, making it prone to underdiagnosis or missed diagnosis in clinical practice. As a result, patients are not managed or treated effectively. This enables the pathogen to continue spreading. This is an important reason for the difficulty in accurately assessing the actual prevalence of pertussis. This study reviews the global understanding and evolving perspectives of atypical pertussis. It also examines the challenges this condition poses to prevention and control efforts. These challenges include low consultation rates, frequent underdiagnosis or missed diagnoses, limited laboratory testing access, and insufficiently targeted prevention strategies. The study also proposes countermeasures to optimize diagnosis, surveillance, and overall prevention and control efforts.
