Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious disease that can affect adults, adolescents, and infants. So what can you do to help protect yourself and those around you? Get vaccinated. There is a vaccine called Tdap that can help prevent whooping cough in adults and adolescents. The FAQs below can help you learn more about the whooping cough vaccine.
What is Tdap?- The letters in Tdap stand for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine. Pertussis is another name for whooping cough. This is the only type of combination vaccine that helps protect adults and adolescents from all 3 of these diseases.
- Aren’t vaccines just for children?
- There is a vaccine series that children receive to help protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis called DTaP. This series starts in infancy and is usually completed when the child is between the ages of 4 and 6. Whooping cough immunity can fade 5 to 10 years after the last vaccination. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a single dose of Tdap vaccine for people ages 11 to 64.
- Why should adults and adolescents get a Tdap vaccine?
- If you received a whooping cough vaccine as a child, that doesn’t mean you have lifetime immunity. Since childhood vaccines that protect against whooping cough can fade over time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a single dose of Tdap vaccine for people ages 11 to 64.
- If I received a Td (tetanus and diphtheria) vaccine, am I protected against whooping cough?
- No, Td immunization only protects against tetanus and diphtheria. The only vaccine that can help protect adults and adolescents against whooping cough is Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, pertussis).
- What’s the difference between the Td, DTaP and Tdap vaccines?
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Td: this vaccine helps protect against 2 diseases—tetanus and diphtheria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends tetanus and diphtheria boosters for adults every 10 years.
DTaP: this is a vaccine that helps protect infants and young children from tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (also known as pertussis). This vaccine is usually given as a 5-dose series starting in infancy and is usually completed by age 4-6.
Tdap: Tdap is a vaccine that helps protect adults and adolescents against 3 diseases—tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. If you have not received it already, your next scheduled Td vaccine may be replaced with a Tdap. This helps give you the added protection against whooping cough that the Td vaccine cannot provide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a single dose of Tdap vaccine for people ages 11 to 64.
- When should I get a Tdap vaccine?
- Talk to your doctor about your vaccine history since protection against whooping cough can fade over time. If you’re due for a Td, a single dose of Tdap may take its place.
- Who should get a Tdap vaccine?
- A dose of Tdap is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for all individuals ages 11 to 64 who have not previously received one. In particular, healthcare workers, parents, people who travel to countries where rates of pertussis remain high, and those who work with infants are highly encouraged to get a Tdap vaccine.
- How is the Tdap vaccine given?
- Tdap is administered as a single injection into the muscle of the upper arm.
- What are the most frequently observed side effects of the Tdap vaccine?
- In clinical studies, side effects included pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, headache, tiredness, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, and fever.
