Pertussis

Pertussis is an infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis vaccines have led to a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of pertussis in infants worldwide. Despite this decrease in incidence, pertussis remains one of the principal causes of vaccine-preventable deaths; in 2008 the World Health Organization reported an estimated 16 million cases per year and 195,000 paediatric deaths.