Pertussis in infants less than 6 months of age and household contacts, Italy April 2014

We report pertussis cases in 4 infants less than 6 months admitted with symptoms compatible with pertussis to the intensive care unit of the Universit\ue0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, April 2014. Realtime PCR confirmed pertussis diagnosis for the 4 infants, 2 of them were cousins, and for the household contacts of 1 of them. Analysis of pertussis toxin, its promoter and pertactin was also performed. First of all, this report emphasizes the need to investigate household contact of infants with pertussis; secondly, to evaluate the selective vaccination of household members of newborns as an effective programme to reduce pertussis in infants