Retrospective cohort study investigating extent of pertussis transmission during a boarding school outbreak, England, December 2017 to June 2018

Euro Surveill. 2021 Jul;26(26). doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.26.1900736.ABSTRACTOn 1 May 2018, a pertussis outbreak was declared and widespread vaccination recommended at an all-female secondary boarding school in southern England. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the extent of pertussis transmission and identify risk factors in this semi-closed population. Of 504 students and staff assessed before post-exposure vaccination, 48% (n = 240) had evidence of pertussis. A sub-analysis of 409 students found that both residential dormitory (p = 0.05) and school year (p = 0.03) were associated with pertussis, with odds decreasing by 11% for each increase in school year (95% confidence interval: 0.7-20.2). Odds of pertussis were 1.7 times higher in those assumed to have received acellular vaccines for their primary course compared with those assumed to have received whole-cell vaccines (based on date of birth), although this difference was not significant (p = 0.12). Our findings support the need for timely, widespread vaccination following identification of cases among adolescents in a semi-closed United Kingdom (UK) setting and to review the evidence for the introduction of an adolescent pertussis booster to the UK routine vaccination programme.PMID:34212843 | DOI:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.26.1900736
Source: Euro Surveill - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research