Pertussis

Latest update from Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority (April 2023)

Read Ākina – A call to action - Whooping cough - Urgent attention

Case notification

Please notify any suspected case of pertussis as soon as possible to the Medical Officer of Health using this form and email the completed form to CD.Admin@bopdhb.govt.nz

If you have any urgent queries, phone:

• 0800 221 555, option 3, or
• the on-call Medical Officer of Health on 07 579 8000 (via Tauranga Hospital switchboard)

Key document

• Health Professional Flow Chart - Pertussis - Toi Te Ora Public Health summary and advice on local guidelines for diagnosis, laboratory tests, swabs and management. 

Immunisation of health professionals

The Ministry of Health recommends a pertussis booster dose (Tdap) at 10-yearly intervals for:

• Lead maternity carers (LMCs) and other health care personnel who work in neonatal units and other clinical settings where they are exposed to infants. Especially those with respiratory, cardiac, neurological or other co-morbid conditions.  For more information, view the Immunisation Handbook 2020.

The vaccine is recommended by the Ministry of Health, but not funded.

For more information

For the latest updates on the number of pertussis cases in our area and across New Zealand, visit the ESR website.

PathLab: PathLab advice on which swabs to use.

Contact 0800 IMMUNE (466 863) or visit www.immune.org.nz

IMAC: Whooping cough information
IMAC: Information fact sheet for parents and caregivers

Ministry of Health: Immunisation Handbook 2020 - Pertussis chapter
Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand: Communicable Disease Control Manual - Pertussis chapter