This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

CDC formalizes Tdap recommendations

CDC. MMWR. 2011;60:13-15.

To boost their immunity to pertussis, all adolescents and adults are recommended to receive a one-time dose of the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine, according to a statement issued by the CDC.

Although the 2005 recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices called for vaccination with Tdap for adolescents and adults to improve immunity against pertussis, Tdap coverage remains at about 56% among adolescents and less than 6% among adults. About 17,000 pertussis cases and 12 infant deaths were reported in 2009, many of which related to an outbreak in California.

In October, the ACIP recommended three expanded uses of Tdap: 1) Tdap may be given regardless of time since a person’s last tetanus- or diphtheria-containing vaccine; 2) adults aged 65 years and older (eg, grandparents, childcare providers and health care practitioners) who have close contact with an infant should receive a single dose of Tdap; 3) children aged 7 to 10 years who are not fully vaccinated against pertussis should receive a single dose of Tdap.

Previously, there was no recommendation for pertussis immunization for a child aged 7 to 10 years because none of the available pertussis-containing vaccines were licensed for this age group. However, because of the excellent safety record of Tdap and the expectation that the vaccine will be immunogenic in this age group as it was in the 4 to 6 years and 7- to 8-year-old groups, the ACIP recommended off-label use of Tdap for these children to protect them against pertussis infection and disease.

Children aged 7 to 10 years who are not fully immunized against pertussis and for whom no contraindication to pertussis vaccine exists should receive a single dose of Tdap to provide protection against pertussis. If additional doses of tetanus- and diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccines are needed, children aged 7 to 10 years should be vaccinated according to catch-up guidelines, according to the CDC.

Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter.