Diphtheria Vaccination
Pronounced (dif-THEER-ee-a)

Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat. It can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, and even death. There are several combination vaccines used to prevent diphtheria: DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td.

What You Should Know

• Brief description
  Symptoms, treatment, transmission, etc.
• Pictures of Diphtheria
  Warning: Some of these photos are quite graphic.
• Travelers information
  Information and updates on risks for travelers, precautions, prevention, etc.
• Timeline of Diphtheria Disease and Vaccine
  Source: History of Vaccines
• Diphtheria basics for parents
  Fact sheet offers overview of Diphtheria disease and vaccine risks and benefits
  • In English
  • En Español

Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccines

There are four combination vaccines used to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis: DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td. Two of these (DTaP and DT) are given to children younger than 7 years of age, and two (Tdap and Td) are given to older children and adults.

Children should get 5 doses of DTaP, one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years. DT does not contain pertussis, and is used as a substitute for DTaP for children who cannot tolerate pertussis vaccine.

Td is a tetanus-diphtheria vaccine given to adolescents and adults as a booster shot every 10 years, or after an exposure to tetanus under some circumstances. Tdap is similar to Td but also containing protection against pertussis. Adolescents 11-18 years of age (preferably at age 11-12 years) and adults 19 and older should receive a single dose of Tdap. Women should receive Tdap during each of their pregnancies (preferably in the third trimester between the 27th and 36th week). Tdap should also be given to 7-10 year olds who are not fully immunized against pertussis. Tdap can be given no matter when Td was last received.

(Upper-case letters in these abbreviations denote full-strength doses of diphtheria (D) and tetanus (T) toxoids and pertussis (P) vaccine. Lower-case “d” and “p” denote reduced doses of diphtheria and pertussis used in the adolescent/adult-formulations. The “a” in DTaP and Tdap stands for “acellular,” meaning that the pertussis component contains only a part of the pertussis organism.)

• Diphtheria Vaccination: Who Needs It?
• Side Effects of DTaP vaccine
  Excerpt from Vaccine Information Statement
  
• Side Effects of Tdap and Td vaccine
  Excerpt from Vaccine Information Statement
  
• Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)  (Td, DTaP, and Tdap)
  (DTP is no longer used in the United States)
• Questions and Answers
  about the various vaccines (DT, DTaP, Td, Tdap)
• State Vaccine Requirements
  Includes school vaccine requirements
• Travelers information
  Information and updates on risks, precautions, etc.

• SIDS Not Linked to Number & Variety of Childhood Vaccines
  Institute of Medicine report
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Vaccines
• Additives in Vaccines  

As with all vaccines, there can be minor reactions, including pain and redness at the injection site, headache, fatigue or a vague feeling of discomfort.

• Multiple or combined vaccines and the immune system
• CDC's Vaccine Safety website
  • concerns | report a suspected vaccine reaction

• What if we stopped vaccinating for this disease?
• Who should not be vaccinated with Diphtheria vaccine?

For Health Professionals