Systematic review found that there was moderate evidence that vaccinating healthcare workers prevented pertussis in infants

Abstract

This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of vaccinating healthcare workers against pertussis on the occurrence of nosocomial pertussis outbreaks or infections among unprotected infants. We focused on eight studies, with five different study designs, that involved 39,129 healthy adolescents and adults, 115 healthcare workers, 2000 simulated healthcare workers and a simulated population of 200,000 people.

Conclusion: There was moderate evidence that tetanus-diphtheria acellular pertussis vaccinations for healthcare workers were effective in preventing pertussis in all age groups and specifically in infants. The results must be interpreted with caution due to the low quality and heterogeneity of the studies.

Keywords: Healthcare worker; Infant; Pertussis; Systematic review; Vaccination.