pertussis: treatment goals and prevention options

The article deals with the questions of rational therapy and immunoprophylaxis of pertussis. It is shown that antibiotics can suppress cough only in incubational period and at prodromal stage as a result of B.pertussis eradication. At the spasmodic stage of pertussis, the main target of therapy is prevention of hypoxia but not suppression of the cough or causative agent eradication. The article highlights importance of hyperleukocytosis as one of the therapy targets at pertussis in young children, through leukapheresis or exchange blood transfusions. One of the methods to decrease morbidity of pertussis is implementation into vaccination schedule the obligatory revaccination of older children and adults.