History of whooping cough in Colombia: Endemic infant deaths, outbreaks and epidemics

Abstract

The occurrence of whooping cough was controlled with vaccination in several countries, but it has re-emerged in recent decades. Little is known about the history of the disease in Colombia. This paper summarizes the history of whooping cough in Colombia, viewed from a population perspective. Evidence suggests that whooping cough appeared towards the end of the 15th. century in Persia, and since then it has been mostly endemic among children. It must have arrived in Colombia during the 18th. or early 19th. century. In Colombia, major epidemics have occurred, especially before the availability of the Bordetella pertussis vaccine. The most significant epidemics occurred in Bogotá (1814) and Cajicá (1922). Vaccination was very effective in the second half of the 20th. century, although there were outbreaks among unvaccinated populations in rural and indigenous areas in various parts of the country. Whooping cough is currently a threat to Colombia due to cases brought in from abroad or unvaccinated individuals.