The existence of well established national reporting systems for monitoring pertussis incidence and vaccine uptake in the United Kingdom has allowed the epidemiology of whooping cough and the impact of vaccination to be studied in detail. The increase in pertussis morbidity that followed the decline in vaccine uptake in recent years confirms the continuing need for mass vaccination in a developed country. There is also evidence that pertussis may be responsible for many more deaths than official mortality statistics show. A national study of vaccine efficacy demonstrated over 80% protection against clinical disease during the first 5 years after vaccination. However, there is evidence that the current whole cell vaccine may protect less well against infection with agglutinogen serotype 3 than type 2 organisms which supports the view that both these antigens should be included in acellular vaccines to achieve good protection. In West Germany, unlike the UK, there are no national statistics on pertussis incidence, no national vaccination policy and no figures for vaccine uptake. Local studies have shown that vaccination rates are low and that pertussis is prevalent, particularly in the 2-4 year age-group, which is typical of a country with low uptake; similarly serotype 2 predominates.