Key Points

• The situation in Occitanie is part of a national and European context marked by a resurgence of pertussis at a high intensity level that has continued over the past few months, following very low circulation from 2020 to 2022.

• Increase in the number of emergency department visits for suspected pertussis in the past week (Week 33). These visits primarily involve children (those under 15 and under 1 year of age account for 72% and 29% of visits, respectively, since the beginning of 2024), with the highest hospitalization rate among those under 1 year of age (70%).

• Increase in the number of suspected pertussis cases seen by the region’s four SOS Médecins associations (Montpellier, Toulouse, Nîmes, and Perpignan), ranging from 30 to 50 cases per week over the past four weeks.

• Stabilization of the positivity rate for pertussis PCR tests in July 2024 compared to June 2024, according to data from three laboratories (Biomnis and Cerba).

• Stabilization of the number of reports to the ARS Occitanie by healthcare professionals of isolated or clustered pertussis cases over the past 6 weeks (Figure 4). Since early 2024, reports have involved nearly all departments.

• Vaccination coverage with the hexavalent vaccine among infants born in 2022 and aged 21 months who received 3 doses of the vaccine was over 91% in Occitanie, close to the national level (Pertussis Epidemiological Update of 06/28/2024).