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Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Vaccines & Immunizations

Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:

Combined Tdap Vaccine
Combined Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccines

 

Adolescent and Adult Recommendations:

On June 30, 2005 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend the routine use of Tdap vaccines in adolescents aged 11–18 years in place of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td) vaccines.

On October 26, 2005 the ACIP voted to recommend routine use of a single dose of Tdap for adults 19-64 years of age to replace the next booster dose of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine (Td). The ACIP also recommended Tdap for adults who have close contact with infants younger than 12 months of age.

On October 27, 2010, the ACIP voted to recommend:

  1. use of Tdap regardless of interval since the last tetanus or diphtheria containing vaccine,
  2. use of Tdap in certain adults ages 65 and older, and
  3. use of Tdap in under-vaccinated children ages 7 through 10 years. 
MMWR References
Disease and Vaccine Information

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Healthcare Personnel Recommendations:

Healthcare Personnel Recommendations:

  1. use of Tdap in all healthcare personnel (HCP), regardless of age, as soon as feasible if they have not previously received Tdap and regardless of the time since last tetanus or diphtheria containing vaccine
  2. use of Tdap in all healthcare personnel (HCP), regardless of age, as soon as feasible if they have not previously received Tdap and regardless of the time since last tetanus or diphtheria containing vaccine

November 2011 MMWR: Immunization of Health-Care Personnel: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

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Pregnancy-related Recommendations:

On June 22, 2011, the ACIP voted to recommend:

  1. women’s health care providers should implement a maternal Tdap vaccination program for women who have not previously received Tdap and
  2. for pregnant women, health care providers should administer Tdap preferably during the third trimester or late second trimester (after 20 weeks gestation). If not administered during pregnancy, administer Tdap immediately postpartum.

May 2008 MMWR: Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and their Infants (ACIP Recommendations)

October 2011 MMWR: Updated Recommendations for Use of Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine in Pregnant Women and Persons Who Have or Anticipate Having Close Contact with an Infant Aged Less than 12 Months — Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2011

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Additional Resources

"Ask the Experts" website:

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This page last modified on January 17, 2012
Content last reviewed on November 8, 2011
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

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Vaccines and Immunizations