When should adults be vaccinated with Tdap?
ANSWER
The CDC recommends the Tdap vaccine for all adults ages 19 and older who have never received the vaccine, especially:
- Health care workers who have direct contact with patients
- Caregivers of infants under 1 year old, including parents, grandparents, and babysitters
- Pregnant women in their third trimester (ideally 27th through 36th week), even if they have previously received Tdap vaccine; this can protect a newborn from whooping cough in the first months of life.
- New mothers who have never received the Tdap
- People who travel to countries where pertussis is common
From: Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis Vaccine for Adults WebMD Medical Reference
Reviewed by Minesh Khatri on April 30, 2017
SOURCES:
CDC web site: "Possible Side Effects of Vaccines" and "Tetanus, Diphtheria (TD), or Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine. What You Need To Know."
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "Types of Vaccines."
Immunization Action Coalition: "Ask the Experts: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis" and "Pertussis Vaccine."
World Health Organization web site: "Diphtheria."
CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
SOURCES:
CDC web site: "Possible Side Effects of Vaccines" and "Tetanus, Diphtheria (TD), or Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine. What You Need To Know."
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "Types of Vaccines."
Immunization Action Coalition: "Ask the Experts: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis" and "Pertussis Vaccine."
World Health Organization web site: "Diphtheria."
CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
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