Pertussis Vaccine: How to Prevent the 100-day Cough
Did you know that there is a vaccine that can protect you and your family from a serious infection that causes a long illness and an uncontrollable, forceful cough that lasts for weeks or months? Here are 5 facts you should know about the pertussis vaccine.
Infection with pertussis can cause an extended, life-threatening illness.
A pertussis infection causes a 3-stage illness. For 1-3 weeks you have an upper respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, tiredness, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Then you develop a cough with cycles of coughing repeatedly and then inhaling forcefully to make a “whoop” sound. The cough can be triggered by cold or noise and is common at nighttime. This forceful coughing may cause issues with breathing properly, may cause you to vomit, and even break ribs. And the cough is not controlled by cough suppressants. In the last phase, the cough lingers for weeks or months and may be triggered by irritants or another respiratory illness.
In babies and young children pertussis infection can cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, or death.
Individuals infected with pertussis bacteria can readily pass it along to in close contact for weeks.
The pertussis bacteria are spread by droplets in the air caused by sneezing or coughing. People are most infectious in the first 2-3 weeks of the disease. Unvaccinated people are most at risk of being infected. And people with mild symptoms, thinking it is just a cold, can still pass along the bacteria to others.
Two types of pertussis vaccine are available to prevent this disease.
Two types of pertussis vaccine are available in combination with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines – DtaP and Tdap. Both vaccines contain a combination of antigens that cause the immune system to produce antibodies to protect against these diseases.
DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) is a vaccine given to infants and young children to provide initial immunity to these diseases.
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) is a booster shot given to older children, teenagers and adults. It contains reduced doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis antigens compared to the childhood DTaP vaccine. Tdap provides additional protection against these diseases since immunity to childhood vaccinations can weaken over time.
It is very important to give the initial vaccine series to infants and young children, but additional doses are also recommended for older children and adults.
Vaccination with a pertussis vaccine (DTaP) is recommended for infants and young children several times: 2, 4, and 6 months, at 15-18 months, and another dose between 4 – 6 years of age.
It is also recommended that older children receive a single dose of another pertussis vaccine (Tdap) at 11 to 12 years of age.
Adults should receive a single dose of Tdap sometime during weeks 27 – 36 of every pregnancy to provide immediate immunity for their newborn. Adults who never received pertussis vaccine may receive a dose of Tdap at any time.
The pertussis vaccine generally has mild side effects.
Side effects noted with the DTaP vaccine in infants and young children include fever, fussiness/irritability, tiredness, crying, and redness, swelling, loss of appetite, and pain at the site of injection. Side effects noted with the Tdap vaccine were pain and redness at the site of injection, headache, body or muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
If you have questions about receiving this vaccine, it is important to ask your pharmacist or physician. Getting vaccinated will protect your child from pertussis infection.