TDAP (Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) vaccine)
This is a combination vaccine which replaces the Td (Tetanus/diphtheria) booster for most patients 11 years old and up. It now contains a component which will protect patients against pertussis (whooping cough). We will be giving this vaccine to those patients 11 and up who have not had a tetanus vaccine within 5 years. It is required for entry to 6th grade in New Jersey.
Pertussis causes coughing spells which can make it difficult to eat, drink and sometimes causes respiratory difficulty. It also can cause pneumonia, seizures and, rarely, death. These more serious complications occur mostly in infants or the elderly.
The reason for the newly licensed vaccine is that there were more than 25,000 cases of whooping cough in the U.S. in 2004. More than 8000 of these were in adolescents, age 11-18. It has been found that the immunity received from the initial series of pertussis vaccines in early childhood does not last through adolescence. This will help protect those who are at increased risk from pertussis as well as the longer lasting coughs in the adolescents. We would also encourage parents to ask their physician about getting the vaccine at their office for themselves.