Most children are protected from pertussis by a series of vaccines in early childhood. But the vaccine protection wanes after a decade or so, leaving adolescents and adults susceptible to the bacterial infection.
"It's a misconception that you're protected from pertussis for life if you've been vaccinated as a child," says Stephen J. Barenkamp, M.D., professor of pediatrics and one of the study's clinical investigators. "The study demonstrated that an estimated one in 300 adolescents and adults contracts the illness each year. The results also demonstrate that an effective vaccine is now available for this population and its use should be strongly encouraged."
Although pertussis is rarely life-threatening in adults, Barenkamp says the booster shot would not only prevent weeks of severe coughing, but may also prevent adults from spreading the infection to small children, for whom the disease can be deadly.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently recommended that all 11 and 12 year olds be given a dose of this new pertussis vaccine as a combined formulation with tetanus and diphtheria boosters. Recommendations for immunization of older adults are under active review.
