{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T20:30:22Z","timestamp":1774470622602,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]],"date-time":"2025-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753056000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antibiotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Pertussis, a vaccine-preventable disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, is resurging globally due to declining immunization rates. This study explores the clinical and epidemiological features of pediatric pertussis cases in a regional Romanian hospital amid growing vaccine hesitancy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 99 children diagnosed with pertussis and admitted to Ploie\u0219ti Pediatric Hospital between January 2024 and January 2025. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Results: The median age was 11 months (IQR 4\u201325), with 12.1% under two months, and ineligible for the first DTaP dose. Notably, 72.7% of children were unvaccinated; 59.4% had missed scheduled doses. None of the mothers received the DTaP vaccination during pregnancy. Most cases (55.6%) had bilaterally accentuated interstitial patterns on chest X-ray, significantly associated with vaccination status (p = 0.019). The leukocyte count was higher in children with alveolar infiltrates (p = 0.028), and as the number of vaccine doses increased, the leukocyte count tended to slightly decrease (p = 0.022, R = \u22120.229). PCR confirmation was obtained after a mean of 2.2 days, with 12.1% of cases confirmed post-discharge. Azithromycin was used in 74.7% of cases, with good tolerability. Conclusions: Low pediatric and maternal vaccine uptake was a major contributor to pertussis resurgence in this cohort. Radiological severity correlated with vaccination status, suggesting that vaccination may confer protection not only against infection but also against severe pulmonary involvement. These findings support urgent public health efforts to restore vaccine confidence and coverage, particularly among vulnerable infant populations and expectant mothers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics14070730","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]],"date-time":"2025-07-21T09:33:53Z","timestamp":1753090433000},"page":"730","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["The Re-Emergence of Pediatric Pertussis: Insights from a Regional Romanian Hospital"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-4629-5820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioana","family":"Rosca","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neonatology, Faculty of Midwifery and Nursery, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology \u201cProf. Dr. Panait S\u00e2rbu\u201d, 3\u20135 Giulesti Street, 060251 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alina","family":"Turenschi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Hospital Ploiesti, 100326 Ploiesti, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8008-4408","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandru","family":"Dinulescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Emergency Hospital for Children \u201cGrigore Alexandrescu\u201d, 011743 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Victoria","family":"Lichii","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Hospital Ploiesti, 100326 Ploiesti, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1097","DOI":"10.1007\/s40121-021-00442-6","article-title":"Bordetella Pertussis in School-Age Children, Adolescents, and Adults: A Systematic Review of Epidemiology, Burden, and Mortality in Africa","volume":"10","author":"Macina","year":"2021","journal-title":"Infect. 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