The Global Pertussis Initiative (GPI) Roundtable Meeting held in 2019, which preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the incidence, surveillance, and immunization practices for pertussis in the Asian region. Participants from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand presented country-specific information on pertussis prevalence, diagnosis, surveillance, vaccine administration and schedules, maternal and neonatal disease rates, and policies and practice of vaccination during pregnancy. In recent years, many Asian countries have seen an increase in pertussis cases, although underreporting of the disease is a concern. Currently, most Asian countries have only passive surveillance for pertussis in place. There is a need for improved surveillance to determine the disease burden and justify vaccination policies and recommendations, such as essential vaccination, boosters, and vaccination during pregnancy. Better awareness of the disease in adolescents and adults is necessary, and infant and childhood vaccination schedules need to be improved in many countries. Differences between private versus public sector vaccination schedules and between whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccines should continue to be examined. It can be anticipated that unmet needs in the prevention and management of pertussis will continue as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves and that key recommendations highlighted in this meeting report will be of ongoing importance.
The Global Pertussis Initiative met in March 2024 to discuss the burden of pertussis and prevention efforts in six Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Except for Cambodia, pertussis is a notifiable disease; data accuracy varies within and between countries. Most cases in the region are diagnosed based on clinical suspicion. Whole-cell and acellular pertussis combination vaccines are available, but the composition differs between countries. Immunization against pertussis is well-established, but policies regarding boosting vary. Vaccination in pregnancy represents a still-neglected opportunity to protect infants. The Global Pertussis Initiative recommends enacting vaccination in pregnancy in countries without and increasing coverage in countries with policies already in place. There is a need to correct the misperception that pertussis affects children exclusively and that childhood vaccines provide lifelong protection. Education is key to widespread understanding of the threat of pertussis and removing barriers to vaccination in Southeast Asia.