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NME clusters likely tied to 2010 pertussis outbreak in California
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Nonmedical vaccine exemptions may have been a contributor to the 2010 California pertussis resurgence, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
Children entering kindergarten from 2005 to 2010 were examined for any nonmedical exemptions (NMEs) and pertussis cases with onset in 2010. Researchers used the data to determine whether NMEs increased in that period and were related to pertussis cases.
Thirty-nine significant clusters of high NME were identified. Two significant clusters of pertussis cases were found between May 2010 to October 2010 and July 2010 to November 2010. In January 2010, fewer than 100 cases of pertussis were identified compared with more than 1,000 in August 2010.
Researchers found that children within an NME cluster had an increased risk of being in a pertussis case cluster (OR=2.47; 95% CI, 2.22-2.75).
“Other studies have shown evidence to support several factors that have likely contributed to the increase in pertussis cases in recent years,” the researchers wrote. “Our findings suggest that communities with large number of intentionally unvaccinated or undervaccinated persons can lead to pertussis outbreaks. In the presence of limited vaccine effectiveness and waning immunity, sustained community-level transmission can occur, putting those who are most susceptible to communicable diseases, such as young infants, at increased risk.”
Disclosure: See study for a full list of disclosures.
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