Santé publique France has published updated pertussis surveillance data from the RENACOQ network in France for the years 2022 and 2023, and reports an increase in the spread of the disease in the country since the beginning of 2024.
Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that spreads mainly within the family or community, through contact with a sick person who presents with cough. Although the number of pertussis cases has fallen considerably since the introduction of vaccination, the bacterium continues to circulate.
The populations most affected are children too young to be vaccinated, as well as adolescents and adults who have lost the protection offered by vaccination.
Beyond our borders, Europe is currently experiencing an increase in pertussis cases, with major epidemics in Croatia, Denmark and the UK, and significant rises in Belgium, Spain and Germany. In France, since the start of 2024, around twenty cluster cases have been reported to Santé publique France in eight French regions, while two cluster cases have been reported in just one region (Ile-de-France) for the whole of 2023.
Faced with this sharp rise in the number of cluster cases reported, Santé publique France remains vigilant, stressing the importance of vaccination to protect people at risk of severe forms of the disease.
Pertussis recurs at regular intervals of 3 to 5 years. The hospital-based pertussis surveillance network (RENACOQ) has recorded six epidemic peaks in France in recent years: 1997, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2012-2013 and 2017-2018.
The number of pertussis cases has steadily declined since the last peak (162 cases reported), reaching 34 cases in 2020 and 4 cases in 2021 in babies under 12 months of age.
Data from the Sentinelles network (research and surveillance network for primary care in general medicine and pediatrics in metropolitan France) indicate that there is one case per year in the general population over the same period.
Although it is possible to anticipate a rebound of the disease in France in 2021-2022, the exceptional context and sanitary measures put in place during the COVID-19 epidemic have probably reduced the spread of pertussis.
At the start of 2024, Santé publique France had received around 15 clusters, mainly in group settings (nursery schools, primary schools, day nurseries and nursery homes), as well as in families, for a total of 70 cases (unconsolidated data for the current year 2024).
In addition, measures need to be taken with regard to the patient and those around him/her, particularly for at-risk individuals and in at-risk environments (maternity wards, crèches, healthcare establishments, etc.).
These measures include elimination of the patient, antibiotic treatment for patients, antibiotic prophylaxis for people in contact with the patient who are not protected by vaccination, and updating the vaccination of the exposed population.
