News

While in adults and older children the cough can be bothersome and last for months, pertussis in young infants can be life-threatening. Pertussis symptoms are different in infants," said leading author Caitlin Li, MD, infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Given that infants are at high risk for complications, pertussis vaccination of mothers during pregnancy is critical, as it protects newborns against this potentially fatal illness," stressed Dr. Li. The CDC also recommends universal vaccination during pregnancy, optimally between 27–36 weeks of gestation, as the primary tool to prevent pertussis-related deaths."