{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T11:38:10Z","timestamp":1784547490715,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768176000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Pertussis remains a public health concern. This study investigated the epidemiology of pertussis in Saudi Arabia from 2006 to 2023 by examining trends in case numbers and crude incidence rates (CIR) by year, age group, region, sex, and nationality. Particular attention was given to the rise in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019\u20132020) and its resurgence in 2023.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A retrospective analysis was conducted using pertussis data reported across 20 regions of Saudi Arabia between January 2006 and December 2023 obtained from the Statistical Yearbooks of the Saudi Ministry of Health. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.0, and both parametric and nonparametric methods were applied.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n The incidence of pertussis showed marked fluctuations, with a sharp increase in 2019 (CIR: 0.75\/100,000), a decline in 2020\u20132022, and a rebound in 2023 (CIR: 0.30\/100,000). The highest CIRs were recorded for Qassim (0.36), Aseer (0.29), Taif (0.28), and Al-Ahsa (0.25). Regions such as Al-Baha, Jouf, and Qurayyat have reported negligible or no cases. Children aged 0\u20134\u202fyears accounted for the highest incidence (3.4\/100,000), whereas older age groups had substantially lower rates. The male-to-female ratios were nearly equal (1.1:1 for Saudis and 1:1 for non-Saudis). Overall, the CIR in Saudi nationals was 3.6 times higher than that in non-Saudis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n The incidence of pertussis in Saudi Arabia varies by age and region, with the greatest burden observed in young children and in regions such as Qassim and Aseer. These findings underscore the importance of targeted vaccination strategies and sustained public health efforts to address these disparities and protect vulnerable populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1726013","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T08:11:00Z","timestamp":1768205460000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Epidemiology of pertussis in Saudi Arabia (2006\u20132023): regional variations and COVID-19 effects"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ibrahim G.","family":"Alghamdi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","article-title":"Pertussis","volume-title":"StatPearls","author":"Lauria","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e155","DOI":"10.1017\/S0950268818003680","article-title":"Estimating seasonal variation in Australian pertussis notifications from 1991 to 2016: evidence of spring to summer peaks","volume":"147","author":"Leong","year":"2019","journal-title":"Epidemiol Infect"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1093\/inthealth\/ihz024","article-title":"Immunizations and vaccines: a decade of successes and reversals, and a call for \u201cvaccine diplomacy\u201d","volume":"11","author":"Hotez","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int Health"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e15281","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000015281","article-title":"The effectiveness and safety of pertussis booster vaccination for adolescents and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"98","author":"Xu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1271","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2019.11.022","article-title":"Pertussis vaccines: the first hundred years","volume":"38","author":"Guiso","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"649","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines13060649","article-title":"Expanded programme on immunization (EPI): a legacy of 50 years and the road ahead","volume":"13","author":"Mirza","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2513729","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2025.2513729","article-title":"Resurgence of pertussis: epidemiological trends, contributing factors, challenges, and recommendations for vaccination and surveillance","volume":"21","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Hum Vaccin Immunother"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"719","DOI":"10.1007\/s40121-021-00440-8","article-title":"Bordetella pertussis in school-age children, adolescents, and adults: a systematic review of epidemiology, burden, and mortality in the Middle East","volume":"10","author":"Macina","year":"2021","journal-title":"Infect Dis Ther"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"974","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(17)30390-0","article-title":"An update of the global burden of pertussis in children younger than 5 years: a modelling study","volume":"17","author":"Yeung","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"639","DOI":"10.1007\/s12519-024-00821-2","article-title":"Resurgence of pertussis: reasons and coping strategies","volume":"20","author":"Hua","year":"2024","journal-title":"World J Pediatr"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pulmoe.2024.04.009","article-title":"Unraveling the resurgence of pertussis: insights into epidemiology and global health strategies","volume":"30","author":"Wan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pulmonology"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1234","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-021-11234-5","article-title":"Vaccination coverage and the challenges of achieving herd immunity in Saudi Arabia","volume":"21","author":"Iqbal","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref13","volume-title":"Comparison of reported cases and incidence for pertussis","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref14","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-07001-x","article-title":"Risk factors and prediction model of severe pertussis in infants < 12 months of age in Tianjin, China","volume":"22","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"865","DOI":"10.15537\/smj.2022.43.8.20220514","article-title":"Health services accessibility and distribution in Saudi Arabia: a regional analysis","volume":"43","author":"Alshammari","year":"2022","journal-title":"Saudi Med J"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1726013\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T08:11:05Z","timestamp":1768205465000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1726013\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]]},"references-count":16,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1726013"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1726013","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]]},"article-number":"1726013"}}