Neonatal pertussis is a resurging disease, possibly due to waning immunity in pregnant women. We report seven cases of neonatal pertussis (Bordetella pertussis DNA PCR positive) in this retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in north India over eight months (March to October 2018). All except one were male infants and presented at the age of 14-30 days with paroxysmal cough in all, four had fever, four had respiratory distress, three had similar illness in the family, and two had leucocytosis. All recovered well with azithromycin. The duration of hospital stay was 5-7 days. A strong suspicion of neonatal pertussis in neonates with paroxysmal cough and similar family history should be maintained as the prognosis is excellent, if treated appropriately.
Keywords: Newborn; immunisation; pertussis; respiratory distress.