Key Points

• A gradual but slow decline in the number of emergency department visits for suspected pertussis has been observed over the past several weeks. These visits primarily involve children (those under 15 and under 1 year of age account for 73% and 28% of visits, respectively, since the beginning of 2024), with a higher hospitalization rate among those under 1 year of age (69%).

• Stabilization at a high level (between 24 and 40 cases per week) over the past 4 weeks in the number of suspected pertussis cases seen by the region’s four SOS Médecins associations (Montpellier, Toulouse, Nîmes, and Perpignan).

• Decrease in September 2024 in the number of PCR-confirmed pertussis cases and the positivity rate, according to data from 3 laboratories (incomplete data for September) (Source: Eurofins-Biomnis and Cerba).

• Increase in the number of reports to the ARS Occitanie by healthcare professionals of isolated or clustered cases of pertussis on a weekly basis since early September (last week incomplete). 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).