Pertussis in early life: underdiagnosed, severe, and risky disease. A seven-year experience in a pediatric tertiary-care hospital.

Pertussis is a remerging disease. In infants, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In recent years, many countries have implemented different vaccination strategies and public health measures to prevent the increase in pertussis cases. Maternal vaccination has been shown to be highly protective for infants <3 months of age before they can develop their own immunity via vaccination.