In October 2011, in an effort to reduce the burden of pertussis in infants, the ACIP recommended that unvaccinated pregnant women receive a dose of Tdap. On 24 October 2012, the ACIP voted to recommend the use of Tdap during every pregnancy.The ACIP and Canadas National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended that both adolescents and adults receive Tdap in place of their next Td booster (recommended to be given every ten years). Tdap and Td can be used as prophylaxis for tetanus in wound management. People who will be in contact with young infants are encouraged to get Tdap even if it has been less than five years since Td or TT to reduce the risk of infants being exposed to pertussis. NACI suggests intervals shorter than five years can be used for catch-up programs and other instances where programmatic concerns make five-year intervals difficult.The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a pentavalent vaccine, combining the DTP vaccine with vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B. Evidence on how effective this pentavalent vaccine is compared to the individual vaccines has not yet been determined.A 2019 study in the American Economic Journal found that state requirements mandating the use of the Tdap vaccine "increased Tdap vaccine take-up and reduced pertussis (whooping cough) incidence by about 32 percent." Related combination vaccines
Excluding Pertussis
DT and Td vaccines, lack the pertussis component. The Td vaccine is administered to children over the age of seven as well as to adults.
In such cases, administration of Tdap is recommended after 20 weeks gestation, and in earlier pregnancy a single dose of Tdap can be substituted for one dose of Td, and then the series completed with Td. For pregnant women not previously vaccinated with Tdap, if Tdap is not administered during pregnancy, it should be administered immediately postpartum. Postpartum administration of TDaP is not equivalent to administration of the vaccination during pregnancy. Because the vaccine is administered postpartum, the mother is unable to develop antibodies that can be transferred to the infant in utero, consequently, leaving the infant vulnerable to the diseases preventable by the Tdap Vaccine. Postpartum administration of the TdaP vaccine to the mother seeks to reduce the likelihood that the mother will contract disease that can be subsequently passed on the infant, albeit there will still be a two week period prior to the protective effects of the vaccine setting in. Postpartum administration is an extension of the concept of "cocooning," a term that refers to the full vaccination of all individuals that may come into direct contact with the infant. Cocooning, like postpartum Tdap aministration, is not recommended by the CDC. Cocooning depends on ensuring full vaccination of all individuals that the infant may come into contact with, and there may be financial, administrative or personal barriers that preclude full and timely vaccination of all individuals within the "cocoon." Brand names
Australia
United Kingdom
Brand names in the United Kingdom include Revaxis (Sanofi Pasteur).