February 24, 2012

Pertussis Immunization Recommended for Adults 65 and Older

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The tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine should be given to adults aged 65 years and older, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices…"I think the important thing that we did today was in essence make a universal use recommendation for Tdap in adults. Before, it was full of provisos that clinicians couldn’t remember, sort of like the flu [vaccine] story. We’ve made it easy for clinicians by saying every adult deserves a dose of Tdap," ACP liaison Gregory A. Poland said in an interview… However, "There are unknowns yet. We don’t know the duration of efficacy or the exact level of efficacy, particularly in older adults. Those are data needs that we have," noted Dr. Poland, the Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Family Practice News, 02/24/2012

Tags: ACP liaison, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gregory A. Poland, Immunology, Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic Rochester, tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine

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