A new book 'Pertussis: Epidemiology, immunology, and evolution' is out now

Pertussis, or whooping cough, remains among the leading causes of death among vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide and recent years have seen its alarming re-emergence in many regions, despite sustained high levels of vaccine coverage.

The causes of the resurgence remain contentious because of several factors, including inherent complexities of the pathogen's biology, pronounced variation in the treatment and prevention strategies between different countries and regions and long-standing disagreement among scientific researchers studying pertussis.

NCIRS staff Helen Quinn and Peter McIntyre have contributed their expertise to this volume (edited by Pejman Rohani and Samuel Scarpino), which brings together expert knowledge from disparate fields with the overall aim of synthesising the current understanding of this critically important global pathogen.