Pertussis is a highly contagious vaccine preventable respiratory infectious disease worldwide. It occurs at any age, but the high incidence of pertussis cases among young infants reflect non-protective levels of maternal pertussis-related antibodies, increased exposure to pertussis, or a combination of both. Severe pertussis in infants too young to be protected by active immunization remains significant health problem both in developed and underdeveloped countries. Evidences suggest that household contacts are the commonest source of infection for susceptible infants. To reduce pertussis in early infancy several strategies have been proposed to protect the newborns. This strategies include: indirect protection by selective vaccination of neonate close contacts and/or universal adescents-adults booster immunization; or direct protection via Pertussis vaccination beginning at birth and maternal immunization. Although the levels of antibodies required for protection against pertussis is not well defined, but higher levels of antibodies seems to correlate with protection. If maternal immunity is to protect the newborn, a protective levels of specific-IgG antibody must be present in the motherââ¬â¢s blood at a time when it can be transferred to the fetus. The higher concentration specific antibody the fetus received above the protective level, the longer time protection will be maintained after birth.
Prepregnancy Pertussis Immunization: Effect on Materno-Neonatal Antibody Titers and Infant Immune Response to Whole-Cell Pertussis Vaccination: Mohammed-Jafar Saffar, Abolghasem Ajami, Narges Moslemizadah, Hiva Saffar and Ali-Reza Khalilian
Last date updated on September, 2024