Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease that is transmitted from
person to person through direct contact with respiratory secretions (droplet
transmission). Despite increasing immunization rates in Oregon children, pertussis
holds the dubious distinction of being the only vaccine-preventable disease
increasing in incidence. In 2003, Oregon experienced a 25-year high in
the number of cases reported. While pertussis is often a mild but lingering
illness in adults, it poses significant risk for hospitalization and death of infants
(<6months). In late 2003, Oregon changed its case definition of confirmed
pertussis case to include PCR-positive results in a person with a clinical
diagnosis of the disease.
Pertussis
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