Editorial commentary: maternal pertussis vaccination: protecting neonates from infection

Pertussis (“whooping cough”) remains endemic in the United States with disease outbreaks generally occurring every 3–5 years. There has been a steady rise in the total number of cases in the United States since historically low rates were recorded in the 1970s, making it a poorly controlled vaccine-preventable disease. In the first half of 2012, many states reported increased pertussis cases, including but not limited to the ongoing epidemic in Washington State [1]. Im