A study led by Dr. Magda Campins, head of the Epidemiology and Public Health group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), and published in "http://zl.elsevier.es/es/revista/medicina-clnica-2/articulo/estudio-contactos-casos-pediatricos-tos-90246830?referer=buscador" Medicina Clínica, has demonstrated that relatives are the main source of infection of pediatric pertussis in children younger than 6 months. VHIR researchers analyzed the data collected from chart review of 404 contacts of 91 pediatric cases of pertussis in Vall d'Hebron University Hospital from 2005 to 2009. The prevalence of positive cases among contacts was over 30%. However, regarding the cases of children under the age 6 months, nearly the 70% of their relatives were the source of infection. Pertussis is a respiratory tract infection characterized by a whooping cough that remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants younger than 2 years. This infection can cause severe effects such as pneumonia, convulsions, brain inflammation and ultimately, death, especially under the age of 6 months. According to Dr. Campins, who has been interviewed in Diario Médico, the low duration of the immunity that vaccines provide cause that “more teenagers and adults transmit pertussis to babies who have not completed the vaccine programme. Thus, they can develop the worse stages of the disease”.The Catalan organism of public health is advising pregnant women to get vaccinated from the 27th week of pregnancy in order to protect their babies from this disease. On January 17 it is scheduled an "http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/canalsalut/menuitem.21c58aea29b124fc48af8968b0c0e1a0/?vgnextoid=e67252ce07753410VgnVCM2000009b0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e67252ce07753410VgnVCM2000009b0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default" informative session at CaixaForum about the importance of this vaccine and its implementation in Catalonia.