Reports of Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, reached a 45-year high in 2004 with 25,827 reported cases in the United States (US).1 Unfortunately, Pertussis is life threatening to young infants who have not been fully immunized.2 But good news arrived in 2005 when the Food and Drug Administration licensed 2 tetanus/diphtheria/acellular Pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccines, one for adolescents and one for both adolescents and adults.2
In 2005, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend that a single Tdap dose be given to adolescents 11-18 years of age and adults 19-64 years of age in place of a tetanus/diphtheria (Td) booster.2,3 Health-care personnel (HCP) were added to this recommendation in February 2006. The ACIP recommendation is intended to provide adolescents and adults with further protection against Pertussis, potentially helping prevent the spread of the disease to vulnerable infants.2,3 By encouraging Tdap booster immunization for adolescents and adults, HCP are redefining the standard of care to protect against Pertussis in the US.