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Summary
Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) are serious bacterial infections. Tetanus causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to "locking" of the jaw. Diphtheria usually affects the nose and throat. Whooping cough causes uncontrollable coughing. Vaccines can protect you from these diseases. In the U.S., there are four combination vaccines:
- DTaP prevents all three diseases. It is for children younger than seven years old.
- Tdap also prevents all three. It is for older children and adults.
- DT prevents diphtheria and tetanus. It is for children younger than seven who cannot tolerate the pertussis vaccine.
- Td prevents diphtheria and tetanus. It is for older children and adults. It is usually given as a booster dose every 10 years. You may also get it earlier if you get a severe and dirty wound or burn.
Some people should not get these vaccines, including those who have had severe reactions to the shots before. Check with your doctor first if you have seizures, a neurologic problem, or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Also let your doctor know if you don't feel well the day of the shot; you may need to postpone it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- Current Vaccine Shortages and Delays (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Diphtheria Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tetanus Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Development of a composite scoring system to rank communities at high...
- Article: Effect of immunization registry-based provider reminder to initiate HPV vaccination at...
- Article: Australian vaccine preventable disease epidemiological review series: tetanus 2003-2019.
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccines -- see more articles
Children
- Vaccine (Shot) for Diphtheria (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Vaccine (Shot) for Tetanus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Vaccine (Shot) for Whooping Cough (Pertussis) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Your Child's Immunizations: Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccine (DTaP) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Tdap Vaccine Requirements for Secondary School (Immunization Action Coalition)
Women
- Pregnancy and Whooping Cough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) Vaccine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- DTaP Vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Td Vaccine (Tetanus and Diphtheria): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Tdap Vaccine (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF