Honduras reports 13 infant pertussis deaths as cases surge

Health authorities in Honduras have raised an alert after a sharp increase in severe pertussis cases, including the recent death of twin infants under three months old at the Hospital Materno Infantil in Tegucigalpa. The twins had been hospitalized for about two weeks with serious respiratory complications before succumbing to the disease over the weekend.

The fatalities bring the total number of infant deaths attributed to pertussis in the country to 13 for the reporting period. Officials warn that infants younger than three months are at highest risk because many have not completed the vaccination schedule. Doctors emphasized that pertussis remains highly contagious and potentially lethal for unvaccinated babies and called on parents, caregivers, and pregnant women to ensure timely immunization.

The Ministry of Health urged the public to bring children with respiratory symptoms to medical facilities promptly and to adhere to the national immunization program, which includes multiple doses for infants and vaccination of pregnant women to protect newborns.