Hospital-acquired pertussis among newborns–Texas, 2004

On July 10, 2004, staff members at a children’s hospital in Texas noted that six infants with pertussis diagnosed by clinical symptoms and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing had all been born during June 4-16 at the same area general hospital. The infants had symptoms consistent with pertussis, including cough, congestion, cyanosis, emesis, or apnea. Infection-control personnel at the general hospital (general hospital A), children’s hospital (children’s hospital A), and the county health department investigated and determined that an outbreak of pertussis among 11 newborns at general hospital A had occurred after direct exposure to a health-care worker (HCW) with pertussis. This report describes the outbreak investigation and highlights the importance of following recommendations to administer tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to HCWs to prevent transmission of pertussis to patients.