A whooping cough, or pertussis outbreak is reported in the capital city of Tiera del Fuego, Ushuaia, in Argentina.
To date, 58 confirmed cases have been reported, out of 135 suspected cases and more than 700 close contacts, in the capital of Tierra del Fuego. The latest reported case had an onset of symptoms on October 3, and so far, three chains of transmission have been identified. The majority of cases are concentrated in adults, followed by children aged 5 to 9, and, to a lesser extent, in the 15 to 19 and 2 to 4 age groups.
In response to the whooping cough outbreak, the National Ministry of Health is supporting the jurisdiction’s technical teams in following the lockdown strategy, monitoring the epidemiological situation, and providing prophylaxis supplies. The national strategy seeks to reinforce the work carried out by the province to facilitate timely detection, limit the spread of the disease, and protect the affected population.
As part of the rapid and targeted response strategy, national technical teams are supporting the province’s epidemiology, laboratory, and primary care departments in tracing close contacts, administering post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and providing direct care to people with symptoms, with the goal of limiting the spread of the disease in the community. Within this framework, a new case definition was also developed, and the national health ministry sent 500 courses of azithromycin suspension (200 mg/5 ml) for the therapeutic and preventive management of cases and close contacts.
At the same time, vaccinations were intensified among priority groups. The Ministry of Health distributed 300 doses of the sextuple vaccine to implement an accelerated immunization schedule for newborns. This schedule will allow babies to receive the three initial doses at three and a half months and two boosters at six months and five years. To implement this schedule, neonatal teams are working to raise awareness among families during health checkups, and local teams are conducting telephone follow-up to promote timely vaccination.
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Considering that the transmission chains originated in educational establishments, it was decided to strengthen vaccination among preschool teachers, recommending a booster dose for those who had not received one in the last 10 years. Following the same criteria, vaccination has also begun for healthcare workers, with a booster dose at age 10 (or at age 5 for professionals who care for children under 12 months). This strategy is ongoing and constitutes one of the most consolidated components of the strategy.
It is important to remember that whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a vaccine-preventable acute respiratory disease that can affect the entire population but has higher morbidity and mortality rates in infants and young children. Although adolescents and young adults often present with mild forms of the disease, they represent a significant source of transmission to children. The vaccination schedule includes one dose at 2, 4, and 6 months, plus a booster between 15 and 18 months.
The joint work between the Nation and the province has strengthened epidemiological surveillance, expanding the scope of lockdown strategies and ensuring the availability of essential supplies. Next week, technical teams from the national health ministry will travel to the city of Ushuaia to continue monitoring the implemented actions, upholding health stewardship, and promoting evidence-based actions to protect the health of the entire population.
Nationally, since the beginning of the year, 333 cases of whooping cough were confirmed in the country, exceeding the confirmed cases for the same period in 2021, 2022, and 2024. The confirmed cases for the year are distributed across 17 jurisdictions.
The region with the highest number of cases is the Central Region, where 260 cases were reported, of which 167 correspond to the province of Buenos Aires and 50 to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. The Southern Region follows, with 58 cases registered within the framework of the outbreak currently affecting the city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego.