Pertussis in Adults: Do we need to give Tdap Vaccine to prevent Petussis Infection?
by dr. Listiyati, MSC
| 11 April 2025
Pertussis (whooping cough) primarily affects children less than 10 years old, but the number and proportion of cases involving adults have increased over the last decade. The disease appears to be as contagious among adults as it is among nonvaccinated children. In Canada the incidence of pertussis has increased four-fold, from 5 per 100 000 in the late 1980s to about 20 per 100 000 in recent years.2 In the United States, incidence rates also quadrupled between 1990 and 2001. Official reports underestimate actual incidence considerably, because most cases go unreported.