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Calley and colleagues provide a timely reminder of the high morbidity and mortality associated with pertussis (whooping cough), which is now largely forgotten due to a successful vaccine programme spanning nearly seven decades.1 Over a short period of only 7 months (November 2023 to June 2024), 54 infants with confirmed pertussis in Great Britain required intensive care admission and invasive ventilation primarily for apnoea. Their median age was only 43 days, and despite aggressive management, 11 infants (20%) died.1