| Starting like a mild cold, pertussis develops into severe coughing fits that end with a "whoop." Listen to it here. Complications include seizures, pneumonia, encephalopathy, brain damage, apnea, coma, or death. |
Recently, a six-week-old York infant spent weeks in the hospital after contracting a near-fatal case of pertussis. The likely source of infection was the baby’s father, who had never been told he needed a booster against the disease.
This pertussis case, the first in York city in four years, is part of a nationwide surge that highlights the need for adult pertussis boosters.
“Pertussis is the only disease that has been on the rise that is preventable by a routinely recommended vaccination. We have the tools to prevent this, and yet we can’t get ahead of the curve,” said David Hawk, MD, MPH, medical director of the York City Bureau of Health.
In the medical community, it’s not yet common knowledge that adults, particularly those in close contact with infants, need a pertussis booster, Dr. Hawk said.
The booster is a component of the Tdap vaccine, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria. It’s a relatively new vaccine so recommendations for when to administer the vaccine are still being developed.
At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals 10 to 64 years of age replace one dose of the Td (tetanus and diphtheria) vaccine with a Tdap. Td vaccines are given once every 10 years or after sustaining a severe cut or burn.
However, adults and others in a household who may be in contact with infants should not wait that long, including, for example, visiting grandparents under age 65.
“Some infants are unprotected or not fully protected because they are not old enough to have received the vaccine yet or they’ve only had one or two doses,” Dr. Hawk said.
For this group, a two-year interval between the Td and Tdap is recommended but not required, according to the CDC. Pregnant women who have never gotten a Tdap should get one as soon as possible after delivery, preferably before leaving the hospital.
Tdap also is recommended for health care workers who provide direct patient care and adolescents 11 to 18 who have not received a Td booster. Beginning in 2011, Pennsylvania schoolchildren will be required to get the Tdap booster to enter seventh grade.
“Improved vaccination won’t happen overnight. It will have to be a considered effort on the part of all of us medical practitioners who are responsible for vaccination,” Dr. Hawk said.
“Obstetricians need to make sure that new parents and other family members are covered. Pediatricians need to help vaccinate brothers and sisters of infants. Physicians who do physicals on adult patients need to make sure this immunization is part of that process,” he added.