For Healthcare Professionals

The following materials focus on pertussis awareness and diagnosis, vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis recommendations, and how to collect laboratory specimens.

Continuing Education Opportunity

Coughing up the Facts on Pertussis (46:21 minutes) Updated 11/27/2014
This webcast presentation focuses on emerging trends and vaccine recommendations. Slides and transcript also available.

Fact Sheets

Pregnancy Recommendation

Provide the Best Prenatal Care to Prevent Pertussis[1.31 MB, 2 pages]
This fact sheet highlights five facts all prenatal healthcare professionals should know about Tdap and pregnancy. It also provides resources to help healthcare professionals strongly recommend Tdap to their pregnant patients during the third trimester of each pregnancy.

Making a Strong Vaccine Referral to Pregnant Women[1.02 MB, 2 pages]
This fact sheet offers tips for how to make a strong referral to your pregnant patients to help ensure that they get recommended vaccines. It is designed for healthcare professionals who are not able to stock and administer Tdap or influenza vaccines in their office.

General

Vaccine Information Statements
Get the current vaccine information statement (VIS) for vaccines that protect against pertussis (DTaP and Tdap).

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Instructional Videos on Specimen Collection

Pertussis Testing Video: Collecting a Nasopharyngeal Swab Clinical Specimen (4:12 minutes, Date Released: 2/14/2011)
This video demonstrates proper techniques for collecting and transporting a pertussis clinical specimen obtained by swabbing the posterior nasopharynx.

Pertussis Testing Video: Collecting a Nasopharyngeal Aspirate Clinical Specimen (4:14 minutes, Date Released: 2/14/2011)
This video demonstrates proper techniques for collecting and transporting a pertussis clinical specimen from the posterior nasopharynx obtained by aspiration.

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Pertussis Sounds

Video - Help Build a Circle of Protection

Help Build a Circle of Protection (3:22 minutes, Date Released: 4/11/2013)
Watch a family’s story about losing their infant daughter to pertussis and why vaccination is so important.

People with this disease can cough violently and rapidly, over and over, until the air is gone from their lungs and they are forced to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. Pertussis is worse for very young children. Also, it is important to know that not everyone with pertussis coughs or "whoops".

Watch a short video of a boy coughing due to pertussis (00:12 seconds)

Watch a short video of a hospitalized man with pertussis (00:56 seconds)

Hear how pertussis sounds in a child (00:26 seconds)

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Video Commentaries on Medscape

CDC Expert Commentary - Considerations for Antimicrobial Prophylaxis After Exposure to Pertussis

CDC Commentary — Considerations for Antimicrobial Prophylaxis after Exposure to Pertussis (4:05 minutes, Date Released: 01/21/2014)
Stay up-to-date on when to use antimicrobial prophylaxis after someone is exposed to pertussis.

CDC Expert Commentary - Pertussis Diagnosis: Avoid the Pitfalls of PCR

CDC Commentary — Protect Patients from Deadly Pertussis: Updated Vaccine Guidelines (5:59 minutes, Date Released: 03/11/2013)
Learn the latest vaccine recommendations for preventing pertussis from infancy through adulthood.

CDC Commentary — Pertussis Diagnosis: Avoid the Pitfalls of PCR (5:44 minutes, Date Released: 02/28/2011)
Learn how to optimize the use of PCR testing for pertussis by avoiding some of the more common pitfalls leading to inaccurate results.

CDC Commentary — Pertussis: Recognition and Treatment (3:36 minutes, Date Released: 1/25/2010)
Are you up-to-date on the recognition and treatment of pertussis?