As children it seemed as if every time you went to the doctor you were getting a shot. It’s no wonder that as adults we tend to slack off on preventative care. Unfortunately our “slacking- off” is affecting the health of our newborn babies. The Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccine (T-dap) is one of the vaccines that adults haven’t been keeping up-to-date on. We all know that if we step on a rusty nail or get a deep laceration we need to get our Tetanus shot, but unfortunately, most of the time we were not receiving the T-dap, we just received the Td, which only covers Tetanus and Diphtheria.
Pertussis, also known as the Whooping Cough, leads to extreme coughing spells, difficulty breathing, poor sleep, and potentially pneumonia or even death. Pertussis is transmitted by coughing and sneezing.
In the past 5 years the recommendation was for pregnant women to receive the T-dap injection immediately post-partum but this proved to be insufficient because it provided no passive immunity to the newborn baby. Infants do not receive their first D-tap until 2mos of age, which leaves them extremely vulnerable during the first 2mos of life.
The 2013-updated recommendation is for all pregnant women to receive the T-dap DURING each current pregnancy between 26-36 weeks gestation, regardless if she has received the T-dap previously. The benefit of getting a booster during the 2nd-3rd trimester is to allow for passive immunity to the newborn to reduce morbidity and mortality to the newborn in the first 2mos of life. The T-dap is not a live vaccine, is completely safe during pregnancy and has not been associated with any adverse effects to the baby.
Timing of the T-dap booster is less important for other adults that will be in close contact with the newborn. It is recommended that the T-dap be administered at least 2 weeks prior to contact with the newborn.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Academy of Pediatrics (APA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have all agreed on the new recommendations for administration of T-dap to all adults that will be in close contact to newborn babies and children.
Women’s Care Specialist does have T-dap vaccines in the office for administration of our pregnant patients and the immunization will be submitted to your insurance company. For our non-pregnant patients and for spouses/significant others we recommend seeing your primary care physician, health department or even a local pharmacy for your vaccine.
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