The site, called Pertussis.com, was launched by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). The site is designed to increase awareness about this vaccine-preventable disease and provide prevention and treatment information to parents and health care workers.

"With nearly 8,000 cases of pertussis reported in 2001 and outbreaks occurring every three to four years, both health care professionals and parents need to identify symptoms of pertussis sooner and understand how milder forms of pertussis in adults and older children can be easily transmitted to susceptible infants who are at increased risk for severe disease and even death," says MaryBeth Koslap-Petraco, co-chair of NAPNAP's special interest group on immunization.

"Pertussis.com is an invaluable tool because its interactive menu allows visitors to see and hear a case of pertussis online and provides useful information about risk factors, treatment, and the importance of vaccination to prevent the disease," she says.

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection. The number of cases in the United States has been increasing since the early 1980s. About 24 percent of the reported cases in the United States are in infants younger than 6 months.

More information

For more on pertussis, visit the National Library of Medicine.