ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ КОКЛЮША У ДЕТЕЙ

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological aspects of pertussis (whooping cough) in the Astrakhan region among children in the period from 2020 to 2022. Methods: During the observation period, 33 children’s outpatient medical records between 2020 and 2022 from various medical institutions in the Astrakhan region were analyzed. Results: Whooping cough affected children of different ages but was more common in infants (younger than 1 year): 46% (n=15), slightly less common in toddlers and preschoolers (1 to 6 years of age): 42% (n=14), while the rate of school-aged children was the lowest: 12% (n=4). In the Astrakhan region, contrary to the city of Astrakhan, the rate of cases under one year of age was higher: 62% (n=6); followed by children 1 to 6 years of age: 25% (n=2), with rarer cases in the school-aged group: 13% (n=1). Among the examined cases the following symptoms prevailed: spasmodic cough (100%; n=33), weakness (94%; n=31), and nasal congestion (58%; n=19), which are typical for the classic course of whooping cough. An extremely rare symptom among children was tonic-clonic seizures: 6% (n=2). No cases of whooping cough with atypical courses have been recorded in the Astrakhan region. Conclusion: Over the past few years, the epidemiological situation with whooping cough infection among the population of the Astrakhan region tended to improve. Susceptibility to whooping cough was characteristic of all ages, but most often children under one year of age were affected. The clinical course was dominated by classical manifestations of pertussis: spasmodic cough, weakness, and nasal congestion. Important diagnostic criteria were the presence of posttussive vomiting and the absence of fever. The main reason for infection among children was non-vaccination due to various medical circumstances or parental refusal. Keywords: Whooping cough, children, vaccination, vaccination calendar, morbidity.