Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr;29(14):2400160.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.14.2400160.

Pertussis epidemic in Denmark, August 2023 to February 2024

Anne Christine Nordholm  1 , Hanne-Dorthe Emborg  1 , Sarah Kristine Nørgaard  1 , Ulrikka Nygaard  2   3 , Aoife Ronayne  4 , Lise Birk Nielsen  1 , Bolette Søborg  1 , Peter H Andersen  1 , Tine Dalby  1
Affiliations

Pertussis epidemic in Denmark, August 2023 to February 2024

Anne Christine Nordholm et al. Euro Surveill. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

We report a record high pertussis epidemic in Denmark since August 2023. Highest incidence was in adolescents, while peak incidence in infants was lower vs previous epidemics in 2019 and 2016. Among infants aged 0-2 months, over half (29/48) were hospitalised and one infant died, underlining the disease severity in the youngest. To protect infants, pertussis vaccination in pregnant women was introduced in January 2024 in the national vaccination programme. Improved vaccination surveillance in pregnant women is being implemented.

Keywords: Bordetella pertussis; epidemiology; public health; respiratory infection; surveillance; whooping cough.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pertussis incidence per year and month, Denmark, January 2014–March 2024 (n = 19,972 cases)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pertussis incidence by age group and year, Denmark, 2014–2023 (n = 19,972 cases)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of pertussis cases by age, Denmark, epidemic years 2016, 2019 and 2023 (n = 11,841cases)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Decker MD, Edwards KM. Pertussis (Whooping Cough). J Infect Dis. 2021;224(12) Suppl 2;S310-20. 10.1093/infdis/jiaa469 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Indenrigs- og Sundhedsministeriet. Sundhedsstyrelsens bekendtgørelse om anmeldelse af smitsomme sygdomme: BEK nr. 1260 af 27/10 2023. [Executive Order on notification of communicable diseases. The Danish Health Authority’s executive order no. 1260 of 27/1]. Copenhagen; Danish Health Authority, 2023. Danish. Available from: https://www.sst.dk/-/media/Udgivelser/2023/Smitsomme-sygdomme/Vejledning...
    1. Dalby T, Andersen PH, Hoffmann S. Epidemiology of pertussis in Denmark, 1995 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2016;21(36):30334. 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.36.30334 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nordholm AC, Søborg B, Jokelainen P, Lauenborg Møller K, Flink Sørensen L, Grove Krause T, et al. Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic in Denmark, October to December, 2023. Euro Surveill. 2024;29(2):2300707. 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.2.2300707 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Munkstrup C, Lomholt FK, Emborg HD, Møller KL, Krog JS, Trebbien R, et al. Early and intense epidemic of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Denmark, August to December 2022. Euro Surveill. 2023;28(1):2200937. 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.1.2200937 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources