A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends universal immunization with the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine at the 11–12 year-age visit, as well as catch-up immunization of older adolescents, to boost individual and herd protection against pertussis. Tdap has replaced the Td (tetanus and reduced diphtheria toxoids) vaccine for adolescents in the childhood immunization schedule. In 2004, more than 25,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States—with more than a third occurring in adolescents—up from a low of 1,060 cases in 1976. Additionally, reported pertussis-related deaths among infants increased from about 10 per year in the 1990s to about 20 per year in this decade. “In infants, pertussis can be dangerous, and very severe. Parents need to know how important it is to vaccinate their children on time to prevent a serious and potentially life-threatening disease,” AAP President Dr. Eileen Ouellette said in a statement.
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