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Increase In Pertussis Cases In South Africa

National Health Laboratory ServiceRef: https://www.nhls.ac.za/increase-in-pertussis-cases-in-south-africa/

Official source

Source domain: nhls.ac.za

Collected on 25 June 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

What this means

The document reports an observed rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in South Africa, particularly among infants and young children, across sentinel sites linked to pneumonia surveillance. It notes the increase started in specific provinces earlier but has since become more generalized, and emphasizes pertussis is vaccine-preventable and notifiable. The document advises clinicians to test, notify cases, and provide post-exposure prophylaxis to close and high-risk contacts, and references NICD guidance for diagnosis and public health response.

What this document offers

Read out of this document by Govermate's AI, in its own words. Each one quotes the line it came from — confirm on the official source before acting.

clinical guidance documentOngoing

Clinical guidance on pertussis diagnosis, management and public health response

Healthcare professionals can access up-to-date clinical guidance for diagnosing, managing, and responding to pertussis cases. This includes recommendations for testing, notification, and prescribing post-exposure prophylaxis to close and high-risk contacts.

Who it is for
clinicians
How to act on it
Visit the NICD website and navigate to the 'Alerts' section or the 'Diseases A-Z' tab under 'Pertussis'
Show the line this came from
A one-page summary of guidance for clinicians, as well as the latest version of the ‘NICD recommendations for pertussis diagnosis, management and public health response’ may be found on the NICD web page ( www.nicd.ac.za ) under ‘Alerts’ and on the Diseases A-Z tab, under ‘Pertussis’.

Facts

Places

Western Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal

Reference

https://www.nhls.ac.za/increase-in-pertussis-cases-in-south-africa/

Key Takeaways

  • organization: National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS)
  • topic: increase in pertussis cases
  • scope: sentinel sites across Western Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal
  • date_range: May–July 2018 (identification period); reported August 2018
  • age_group: infants 1 year and younger, up to 3 months prominent in cases
  • notifiable: pertussis is notifiable according to Health Act
  • actions: test, notify, prescribe postexposure prophylaxis
  • references: NICD guidelines and alerts on pertussis
  • figure: laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases 2014-2018