After declaring an official epidemic of pertussis, the medical term for whooping cough, California health officials announced a broadened vaccination campaign for teens and adults of all ages. Anyone who comes into contact with babies is particularly urged to get the vaccine — even pregnant women and the elderly.
“Teens and adults should be vaccinated, especially anyone who is going to have contact with infants who are too young for vaccinations,” CDC epidemiologist Stacey Martin, MSc, tells WebMD. “Those California deaths were all in infants less than 3 months old. They don’t have the benefit of vaccination yet, so we have to vaccinate around them.” www.webmd.com
The booster commonly being given is the DTaP: diptheria/tetanus/acellular pertussis vaccine. For specific information, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-tdap.pdf
Bottom line: Vaccinate everyone except first trimester moms, or people with exceptions (on chemo, etc. Visit the Center for Disease Control website (cdc.org) for more good advice.
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