The USFDA has recently approved a Tdap vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid, and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed) for administration in the third trimester of pregnancy to immunize infants younger than two months of age against pertussis commonly known as whooping cough. The Tdap vaccine is administered as a 0.5 mL dose. The Tdap vaccine was initially approved by the USFDA in 2005 for immunizing individuals aged 10–18 years against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
In 2012, the CDC recommended that the Tdap vaccine be administered in the third trimester of pregnancy on the basis of the positive results of a randomized, placebo-controlled study (n = 340). Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease, and infected infants are prone to developing severe complications requiring prolonged hospitalization. However, infants younger than two months are too young to…
