Key Points

• The situation in Occitanie is part of a national and European context of a resurgence of pertussis—which was expected but is of high intensity—following very low circulation from 2020 to 2022

• A marked increase in the number of emergency room visits for suspected pertussis in recent weeks, primarily involving children (those under 15 and under 1 year of age account for 76% and 35% of visits, respectively, since the beginning of 2024), with the highest hospitalization rate among those under 1 year of age (79%)

• A marked increase in suspected pertussis cases seen by the region’s four SOS Médecins associations (Montpellier, Toulouse, Nîmes, and Perpignan) in recent weeks

• Significant increase in the positivity rate of pertussis PCR tests according to data from three laboratories (Biomnis and Cerba) in May 2024 (incomplete data for June 2024)

• Increase in reports to the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS) by healthcare professionals of isolated or clustered pertussis cases in May–June 2024, across all departments in the region

• Vaccination coverage with the hexavalent vaccine among infants born in 2022 and aged 21 months who received 3 doses of the vaccine was over 91% in Occitanie, close to the national level

• Instructions for sending specimens to laboratories are available on the website of the Institut Pasteur, National Reference Center for Pertussis and Other Bordetellosis