Economy 8 October 2024, 4:55pm

Suspected whooping cough cases drop in Hungary for the fourth week in a row

Portfolio

On the fourth week of September (23-29), 62 suspected cases of whooping cough were registered by GPs in Hungary, according to the latest weekly report from the National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK). The spread of the infection surprisingly moderated further for the fourth consecutive week after picking up on the 35th week to 86 cases. The start of the school year was expected to bring about an upsurge in infections, but fortunately this still has not happened yet. The 'influenza season' officially starts on the 40th week, but it is expected to peak only between the 3rd and 7th week of 2025.

During the fourth week of September, the weekly number of suspected pertussis patients reached 62, below the previous week's figure (70) or this year's peak (89). The National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK).confirmed the clinical diagnoses with microbiological tests in 10 cases and diagnostic tests still ongoing in the remaining patients.

The 39th week is the fourth week in a row that caused a positive surprise, as experts projected a rise in the number of suspected pertussis cases due to the start of the school year and the consequent increase in social contacts.

The number of suspected pertussis cases reported for the 39th week brings the cumulative number to 903 this year, an outstanding figure compared to previous years when only a few cases were found in Hungary. This is strange, because the high rate of vaccination has meant that GPs have generally encountered these diseases mostly in textbooks, and very seldom in practice.

We have repeatedly discussed in our previous articles why pertussis was spreading fast before:

There have been no updates on the vaccine situation for weeks now. The NNGYK last issued a statement on vaccine deliveries on 13 August.

Ágnes Galgóczi, the head of epidemiology at the NNGYK, stressed that the protection of newborns remains the most crucial, and therefore vaccination is recommended primarily for pregnant women, because maternal antibodies in the third trimester, passing into the newborn, protect the newborn from the development of serious illness in the first months. In addition, vaccination is also recommended for those in the family who are directly involved in the day-to-day care of the newborn.

The season for respiratory infections is the autumn-winter period, so we are sure to see an increase in the number of cases in the coming period,

Galgóczi warned earlier.

According to the expert, the spread may be due to the increased circulation of airborne pathogens in the post-pandemic period, as was already seen last season with the influenza virus or the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). (The NNGYK issues weekly reports on influenza infections between the 40th and 20th weeks, but the first report may not be published until the 44th week. Portfolio will follow the flu / COVID-19 / RSV developments closely, just like in the previous years.)

Symptoms

"Anyone who experiences a cough that lasts for weeks, possibly with a low or high fever that also lasts for weeks, can be considered for a diagnosis of whooping cough. In newborns, infants, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children, this coughing symptom can lead to a much more severe, oxygen-deprived condition, which can be seen in the baby's mouth turning blue," Gaglóczi said earlier. She reassured, however, that the disease is caused by a bacterium that can be treated well with antibiotics.

Most vulnerable group(s)

Portfolio has previously reported in several articles that the most vulnerable group is infants. They were also the group with the highest incidence on the 39th week. In the first 39 weeks of this year, 187 of all suspected cases, practically one in five, were infants, but the prevalence in the 40-49 age group is also rather high. If we look at a wider age group of children between 0 and 14 years of age, they make up 43% of all cases this year (387 in total), while up to 19 years the share is 52.6% (475 cases).