PGIMER Flags Rise in Rare Chest Infections in North India

Chandigarh- A team at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has reported a significant rise in infections caused by a lesser-known bacterium that mimics whooping cough in north India, officials said on Thursday.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that has historically been a major cause of childhood mortality, with fatality rates reaching 10 per cent in the early 20th century, a PGIMER statement noted.

The study, titled ‘Emergence of Bordetella holmesii–Associated Pertussis-Like Illness, Northern India, 2019–2023’, was published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal (of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA) and analysed 935 suspected pertussis cases.

Researchers discov