Malignant pertussis in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Infantile malignant pertussis is characterized by severe respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, leukocytosis, and death. Bordetella pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease that is becoming a much more globally prevalent condition contributing to more and more infant deaths each year. This article examines 2 such cases and the hospital's internal and community-based programs initiated to help protect these vulnerable infants.