Tdap Immunizations for Every Pregnancy?

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedule was updated in January, 2013 to recommend that a dose of Tdap vaccine be administered to all pregnant women during each pregnancy whether or not they have received the vaccine previously. This is a new recommendation.

What is the reason for this change? The CDC changed its recommendations due to the pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic that affected more than 41,000 people in the U.S. last year. Whooping cough occurs as a result of an infection from the bacterium Bordatella pertussis. Signs of pertussis include paroxysmal cough, inspiratory whoop, and vomiting after coughing. It is fatal in 1.6% of hospitalized infants less than one year of age. In the U.S., approximately 5-30 children die per year due to pertussis. Pertussis is rarely fatal for older children and adults. Pertussis can be treated with antibiotics. However, in most cases it is a self-limited illness lasting a few weeks to six months.

Pertussis is a serious illness in an infant. We definitely want to minimize pertussis infections in very young children. However, is giving the Tdap immunizaition during every pregnancy the right thing to do?

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Filed under: health Tagged: Bordetella, CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, DPT vaccine, Pertussis, pregnancy, Vaccination schedule, VACCINE For more News Visit: http://tipggita32.wordpress.com