In EW09 2026, two new pertussis cases were reported.
All cases originated from Tanna and have been hospitalised.
One of the newly identified hospitalisations occured in EW08 following data verification and the second case was hospitalised in EW09. Both patients were discharged during the reporting week (EW09). The total number of hospitalised cases has increased to 67 and the cumulative total has increased to 807 cases (777 clinically diagnosed and 30 laboratory confirmed).
No new deaths were reported during this period. The cumulative number of pertussis-associated deaths remains at 7, including six deaths in Tanna and one in Shefa.
Pertussis activity in 2026 continues to show an overall declining trend compared with the peak observed in late 2025.
The sex distribution (Figure 2) remains approximately equal, with similar proportions among males and females and no consistent sex predominance across age groups.
Cases continue to be reported across all age groups, with the highest proportions among children aged 1–9 years. A substantial proportion of cases occurred among infants <1 year, while relatively few cases were reported among individuals aged 10 years and above.
Geographically, pertussis remains concentrated in Efate (~54%) and Tanna (~38%), which together account for the majority of reported cases (Figure 3). A smaller cluster has been observed in Futuna (~8%), and one case from Erromango.
While case numbers continue to decline, they remain above the outbreak threshold, indicating that although transmission is decreasing, the outbreak is still ongoing.
