To treat for pertussis or not?
In the setting of the current pertussis epidemic in California, each kid with a cough sparks constant debate about whether to treat with azithromycin or not. Finally, thanks to my friends Dr. Andi Marmor and Dr. Shon Agarwal Jain (UCSF Pediatrics faculty), there's a great algorithm to help you answer the question. I have found this algorithm extremely helpful.
You basically start by risk-stratifying by age and pertussis immunization status. For instance, if the patient is <3 months of age (or >6 months of age AND unimmunized), then follow the algorithm listed as "High Risk for Pertussis".
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