Contact Network Structure Explains the Changing Epidemiology of Pertussis

Abstract

Coughing Back: Resurgence of whooping cough (or pertussis) is problematic because of the risk of infant fatality, but it has been occurring despite the availability of a vaccine. Data from Sweden, where national vaccination for whooping cough was discontinued for 17 years, before resumption in 1996, was used by Rohani et al. (p. 982 ) to build a model that showed that age-specific social contacts were an important influence on the spread of infection. The model helped to explain why resumption of vaccination was so successful in curbing infant whooping cough but had no effect on pertussis in adolescents. The model thus demonstrated how potentially important it is to take account of age-stratification in a population when considering public health policy.