Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of whooping cough in the Republic of Mordovia

Abstract

This article examines the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory parameters of whooping cough in children in the Republic of Mordovia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the inpatient records of the patients with whooping cough hospitalized in 2023–2024 in the Republic Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases of Saransk. A significant increase in whooping cough cases among children was observed in the Republic of Mordovia in 2023 (with a peak in the summer-fall period). Infections in children occurred primarily in family settings, where the main sources of the infection were older children and adults. Whooping cough was most common in children under one year of age, often in children under three months of age who had not reached the vaccination age, or in the second half of the year (6–12 months) in unvaccinated children (mainly due to parental refusal to vaccinate). Cases of illness in vaccinated individuals were registered primarily among children aged 3–6 months who were in the process of active three-dose immunization without yet developed protection against whooping cough, as well as among adolescents aged 13–14 years, which is associated with a decrease in post vaccination immunity. In most cases, moderate whooping cough was diagnosed with typical clinical symptoms. In half of the sick individuals, the infection was accompanied reprises (more often in children under a year of age). A third of the patients did not have a fever, and half had a subfebrile temperature. Severe cases were reported in children under two years of age, characterized by frequent coughing fits, apnea, and, in half of cases, pneumonia. A leukemoid reaction, predominantly with a lymphocytic shift, was observed in 15.8 % of the cases.