The expert panel that makes vaccine recommendations for the U.S. is recommending that all adolescents age 11 to 12 years of age be given the Tdap vaccine instead of the Td vaccine (tetanus booster) currently given. The new booster adds a booster dose of pertussis, or whooping cough, vaccine.
As we reported before, immunity to whooping cough decreases as children age, and teenagers and young adults are susceptible to pertussis. It is not uncommon to see someone this age with pertussis, and the numbers are increasing. The disease at this age is not usually serious (although it lasts for months and can be annoying and interfere with school, work, and other activities); however, an increasing number if infants are catching pertussis from their older siblings or parents, and it can be serious or fatal for them. The vaccine may also be recommended for teenagers who have already had a regular tetanus booster; the official recommendations will be published in several months. The vaccine may also eventually be recommended in adults as well.
Vaccine recommendations from the expert panel become official policy once the CDC publishes them, which usually takes several months. The vaccine is then part of the official vaccine schedule for the U.S. Then insurance companies usually cover the vaccine, but this often takes several more months or longer, depending on the insurance company. Once insurance companies start covering the vaccine, physicians usually start giving them.
Hopefully, with this additional booster, we will see a decrease in whooping cough in both teenagers and in infants as well.