Key Points

• A slight uptick in the number of emergency room visits for suspected pertussis cases over the past two weeks. These visits primarily involve children (those under 15 and under 1 year of age account for 71% and 27% of visits, respectively, since the beginning of 2024), with a higher hospitalization rate among those under 1 year of age (68%).

• Continued decline in the number of suspected pertussis cases seen by the region’s four SOS Médecins associations over the past few weeks (Montpellier, Toulouse, Nîmes, and Perpignan).

• Continued decline in October (incomplete data for November) in the number of confirmed pertussis cases by PCR and stabilization of the positivity rate according to data from three laboratories (Source: Eurofins-Biomnis and Cerba).

• Since early October, there has been a decrease in the number of reports to the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS) by healthcare professionals of isolated or clustered cases of pertussis on a weekly basis (the most recent week is incomplete). Since early 2024, reports have involved 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).