Vanuatu’s pertussis outbreak remains active despite a continuing decline in cases, the National Surveillance Unit reported, after two more patients from Tanna required hospital care over the past week. Both were discharged, but their admissions push the total number of people hospitalised during the outbreak to 67 since cases began to surge in mid-2023.
The latest epidemiological update puts the country’s cumulative case count at 807, comprising 777 clinically diagnosed cases and 30 confirmed by laboratory testing. No additional deaths were recorded in the most recent reporting period; the overall death toll remains seven, with six fatalities on Tanna and one in Shefa province.
Health officials said pertussis activity in 2026 is trending down from the peak seen in late 2025, but warned that transmission has not yet been halted. “Case numbers continue to decline, but they remain above the outbreak threshold,” the report said, underlining that the outbreak is still ongoing and vigilance is required.
The distribution of cases shows the outbreak remains geographically concentrated. Efate accounts for about 54 percent of reported infections and Tanna about 38 percent. A smaller cluster on Futuna represents roughly eight percent, and a single case has been reported from Erromango. Officials said the cluster pattern points to persistent local transmission in the two main hot spots, with sporadic spread elsewhere.
Age-profile data continues to show children bear the brunt of the outbreak. The highest proportion of cases is among one- to nine-year-olds, while a substantial number of infections have been recorded in infants under one year — a group at highest risk of severe pertussis complications. Only a few cases have been reported in those aged ten years and above.
Public health authorities reiterated calls for vaccination and early treatment for anyone showing symptoms of whooping cough. The update’s relatively small number of laboratory-confirmed cases — 30 of 807 — reflects that most diagnoses have been clinical, and officials have flagged the need for prompt clinical care where testing capacity is limited. With hospital admissions continuing, albeit at reduced levels, health services say maintaining immunisation drives and rapid management of suspected cases remain priorities to protect infants and reduce severe outcomes.
The new figures offer a mixed picture: a national trend toward fewer cases compared with last year’s peak, but persistent transmission above threshold levels and continuing hospitalisations that keep the outbreak an active public health concern. The surveillance unit said it will continue monitoring trends and urged communities in Efate and Tanna, in particular, to ensure children’s vaccinations are up to date and to seek medical attention early for respiratory symptoms.
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