Pertussis outbreak in children hospitalized in Rabat (Morocco)

Introduction: Cyclical pertussis epidemics primarily affect young infants. This study aims to estimate pertussis prevalence during the ongoing 2023 outbreak at our institution, focusing on affected age groups and clinical presentations. Materiel and methods: This retrospective study includes patients admitted to Rabat University Hospital Center from 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2023. Symptomatic patients underwent Multiplex Respiratory Panel PCR testing for respiratory infections. The analysis included cases where RT-PCR identified Bordetella spp., with data analysed using SPSS 15.0. Results: Pertussis cases sharply increased from December 2022, constituting 85.4 % of positive samples. Most cases (78.2 %) occurred in infants under 3 months, presenting symptoms such as coughing (94.5 %) and dyspnoea (94.5 %). Pertussis was suspected in 60 % of RT-PCR confirmed cases. B. pertussis DNA was identified in 81.8 % of cases and B. parapertussis DNA in 18.2 % of cases. Conclusion: The study exposes a significant pertussis outbreak affecting predominantly young infants.