People between the ages of 11 and 64 should get a DTaP booster shot to protect against pertussis (whooping cough), diphtheria and tetanus, federal vaccines advisers recommended yesterday. In light of the whooping cough outbreak that has affected vast swaths of California, the committee is encouraging family members and others who come in contact with babies to get inoculated since the protection offered by the childhood vaccine wanes over time.
“Teenagers and adults should get the DTaP booster shot to protect themselves as well as infants from what can be a devastating and fatal infection passed on by individuals whose immunity has fallen below protective levels,” advises ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. Ten infants have already died this year due to whooping cough in California, and an additional 6,257 cases have been reported.