Pertussis Booster (xpost from 1st yr)

[A_A_AMom]

I took Addison in for her 2 month visit today and her pedi recommended that myself and anyone else (older siblings, grandparents, etc) that have close contact with her get a pertussis booster (Tdap, tetnus-diptheria and pertussis) if they haven't had a tetnus shot in the last 2 yrs. The little ones don't get full immunity from the immunization until after their 6 month vaccines.

Did you pedi's recommend this as well?

Here is an excerpt from a pertussis website.


"The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that adolescents 11 and 12 years of age receive Tdap in place of the tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster typically given, and that adolescents 13 through 18 who missed the 11- to 12-year dose of Td receive a Tdap booster. Adolescents ages 11 to 18 who have already been vaccinated with Td are encouraged to receive a dose of Tdap to further protect against pertussis, if at least 2 years have passed since their last dose of Td.
It is recommended that adults ages 19-64 receive a single dose of Tdap for pertussis protection, especially those who have close contact with infants less than 12 months of age."

[eClaire]

Sigh. The vaccine issue.

It is true that about 50% of pertussis cases in babies are transmitted directly from caregivers. I have definitely been tempted to get a booster for myself. But because I have an autoimmune disease (Graves Disease) that is currently in remission, I am extremely afraid of getting the vaccine. To say that I have lost many nights sleep over immunizations for myself and Gil and Henry is a huge understatement.

[A_A_AMom]

I would also consider myself in a higher risk category, as far as contracting pertussis and passing it along to Addison. I work in a medical clinic. And, while I don't live in a high pop area, a large percentage of our town/city's population is well below the poverty level, under or uninsured (many undocumented), and live in overcrowded housing situations.

Also, I have no immune issues, so I was not worried about my safety with the booster.

I know vaccines can be a touchy subject, so I hesitated to bring it up, but I figured I could just share the info given to me and everyone could do with it as they felt appropriate.

[eClaire]

I guess I can take solace in the fact that we live in an area with more moose than people, so our risk is probably much lower than average!

My take on vaccines is to become as educated as possible about them and then make decisions based on your own family/circumstances. It's just so frustrating that these decisions aren't as clear cut as I thought they would be, before I became a parent.