Effect of a low pertussis vaccination uptake on a large community. Report from the Swansea Research Unit of The Royal College of General Practitioners.

In a case-control study 27 index children from ordinary schools who had had convulsions or apnoea as a complication of whooping cough about eight years previously were compared with 27 children who had never had whooping cough and 15 who had had whooping cough without complications. Other factors likely to cause intellectual impairment after conception were considered. The index group had a significantly lower median intelligence quotient and poorer school attainment than either of the control groups. The results support the hypothesis that convulsions or apnoea as a complication of whooping cough may be associated with subsequent intellectual impairment.