Is the pertussis vaccine necessary for dental professionals?

Pertussis or whooping cough is one of the more recent re-emerging diseases. It is also a problem for clinicians because it is a difficult disease to diagnose. In the mid 1970s, there were less than 1,500 cases of pertussis in the United States. However, by 2001, this number had risen to more than 10,000 cases. The re-emergence is caused in part by earlier forms of pertussis vaccine included with the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (DPT).  Immunity against Bordetella pertussis following receipt of DPT appears to wane during adolescence. To address this potential problem, separate child and adolescent/adult pertussis vaccine are now available, each designed to stimulate effective immunity in vaccinated recipients. This respiratory infection can also be misdiagnosed because the current manifestations of petussis do not necessarily include the classic “whooping” cough of years ago. This characteristic sounds is missing from the cough, and the patient instead presents with a more chronic, prolonged cough. It has been referred to as the “100 day cough.” Diagnosis can also be problematic because Bordetella pertussis is a difficult organism to culture and isolate. Because a resurgence of this respiratory infection is occurring in adolescence and even adults, health care professionals should be aware and protected.