VACCINE INFORMATION STATEMENT
Td or Tdap (Tetanus-Diphtheria or
Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis)
What You Need to Know
1
Why get vaccinated?
Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis can be very serious diseases.
TETANUS (Lockjaw) causes painful muscle spasms and
stiffness, usually all over the body.
• Itcanleadtotighteningofmusclesintheheadandneckso the victim cannot open his mouth or swallow, or sometimes
even breathe. Tetanus kills about 1 out of 5 people who are
infected.
DIPHTHERIA can cause a thick membrane to cover the back
of the throat.
• Itcanleadtobreathingproblems,paralysis,heartfailure,and
even death.
PERTUSSIS(WhoopingCough)causesseverecoughing
spellswhichcanleadtodifficultybreathing,vomiting,and
disturbed sleep.
• Itcanleadtoweightloss,incontinence,ribfracturesand
passingoutfromviolentcoughing.Upto2in100adolescents
and5in100adultswithpertussisarehospitalizedorhave complications,includingpneumoniaanddeath.
These three diseases are all caused by bacteria. Diphtheria and
pertussis are spread from person to person. Tetanus enters the
bodythroughcuts,scratches,orwounds.
TheUnitedStatessawasmanyas200,000casesayearof
diphtheria and pertussis before vaccines were available, and
hundredsofcasesoftetanus.Sincethen,tetanusand
diphtheria cases have dropped by about 99% and pertussis
casesbyabout92%.
Children6yearsofageandyoungergetDTaP vaccine to
protect them from these three diseases. But older children,
adolescents, and adults need protection too.
2
Vaccines for adolescents and
adults: Td and Tdap
Twovaccinesareavailabletoprotectpeople7yearsofageand
older from these diseases:
• Td vaccinehasbeenusedformanyyears.Itprotects
againsttetanusanddiphtheria.
• Tdap vaccinewaslicensedin2005.Itisthefirst
vaccineforadolescentsandadultsthatprotectsagainst
pertussis as well as tetanus and diphtheria.
ATdboosterdoseisrecommendedevery10years.Tdapis
givenonlyonce.
3
Which vaccine, and when?
Ages 7 through 18 years
• AdoseofTdapisrecommendedatage11or12.Thisdose
couldbegivenasearlyasage7forchildrenwhomissedone
or more childhood doses of DTaP.
Vaccine
ManyVaccineInformationStatementsareavailableinSpanishandotherlanguages.Seewww.immunize.org/vis.
HojasdeInformaciánSobreVacunasestándisponiblesenEspañolyenmuchosotrosidiomas.
Visitehttp://www.immunize.org/vis
• Childrenandadolescentswhodidnotgetacompleteseries
ofDTaPshotsbyage7shouldcompletetheseriesusinga
combination of Td and Tdap.
Age 19 years and Older
• AlladultsshouldgetaboosterdoseofTdevery10years.
Adultsunder65whohavenevergottenTdapshouldgeta
doseofTdapastheirnextboosterdose.Adults65andolder
maygetoneboosterdoseofTdap.
• Adults(includingwomenwhomaybecomepregnantand
adults65andolder)whoexpecttohaveclosecontactwith
ababyyoungerthan12monthsofageshouldgetadoseof
Tdap to help protect the baby from pertussis.
• Healthcareprofessionalswhohavedirectpatientcontactin
hospitalsorclinicsshouldgetonedoseofTdap.
Protection After a Wound
• Apersonwhogetsaseverecutorburnmightneedadoseof
Td or Tdap to prevent tetanus infection. Tdap should be used for anyone who has never had a dose previously. Td should be used if Tdap is not available, or for:
- anybody who has already had a dose of Tdap,
- children7through9yearsofagewhocompletedthe
childhood DTaP series, or
- adults65andolder.
Pregnant Women
• PregnantwomenwhohaveneverhadadoseofTdapshould
getone,afterthe20thweekofgestationandpreferably
duringthe3rdtrimester.IftheydonotgetTdapduringtheir
pregnancytheyshouldgetadoseassoonaspossibleafter
delivery.Pregnantwomenwhohavepreviouslyreceived
Tdapandneedtetanusordiphtheriavaccinewhilepregnant
shouldgetTd.
TdaporTdmaybegivenatthesametimeasothervaccines.
4
Some people should not be
vaccinated or should wait
• Anyonewhohashadalife-threateningallergicreactionafter
adoseofanytetanus,diphtheria,orpertussiscontaining
vaccineshouldnotgetTdorTdap.
• Anyonewhohasasevereallergytoanycomponentofa
vaccineshouldnotgetthatvaccine.Tellyourdoctorifthe
persongettingthevaccinehasanysevereallergies.
• Anyonewhohadacoma,orlongormultipleseizureswithin
7daysafteradoseofDTPorDTaPshouldnotgetTdap,
unless a cause other than the vaccine was found. These
peoplemaygetTd.
• Talktoyourdoctorifthepersongettingeithervaccine:
- has epilepsy or another nervous system problem,
- hadsevereswellingorseverepainafterapreviousdoseof
DTP, DTaP, DT, Td, or Tdap vaccine, or
- hashadGuillainBarréSyndrome(GBS).
Td
• Feverover102°F(rare)
Tdap or Td
• Extensiveswellingofthearmwheretheshotwasgiven(up
toabout3in100).
Anyone who has a moderate or severe illness on the day the
shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before
gettingTdaporTdvaccine.Apersonwithamildillnessor
low fever can usually be vaccinated.
Severe Problems
5
What are the risks from Tdap
and Td vaccines?
With a vaccine, as with any medicine, there is always a small
riskofalife-threateningallergicreactionorotherserious
problem.
Brieffaintingspellsandrelatedsymptoms(suchasjerking
movements) can happen after any medical procedure, includingvaccination.Sittingorlyingdownforabout15minutes
afteravaccinationcanhelppreventfaintingandinjuries
causedbyfalls.Tellyourdoctorifthepatientfeelsdizzyor
light-headed,orhasvisionchangesorringingintheears.
Gettingtetanus,diphtheriaorpertussisdiseasewouldbemuch
morelikelytoleadtosevereproblemsthangettingeitherTd
or Tdap vaccine.
Problems reported after Td and Tdap vaccines are listed below.
Mild Problems
(Noticeable, but did not interfere with activities)
Tdap
• Pain(about3in4adolescentsand2in3adults)
• Rednessorswellingattheinjectionsite(about1in5)
• Mildfeverofatleast100.4°F(uptoabout1in25
adolescentsand1in100adults)
• Headache(about4in10adolescentsand3in10adults)
• Tiredness(about1in3adolescentsand1in4adults)
• Nausea,vomiting,diarrhea,stomachache(upto1in4
adolescentsand1in10adults)
• Chills,bodyaches,sorejoints,rash,swollenglands
(uncommon)
Td
• Pain(uptoabout8in10)
• Rednessorswellingattheinjectionsite(uptoabout1in3)
• Mildfever(uptoabout1in15)
• Headacheortiredness(uncommon)
Moderate Problems
(Interfered with activities, but did not require medical attention)
Tdap
• Painattheinjectionsite(about1in20adolescentsand1in
100adults)
• Rednessorswellingattheinjectionsite(uptoabout1in16
adolescentsand1in25adults)
• Feverover102°F(about1in100adolescentsand1in250
adults)
• Headache(1in300)
• Nausea,vomiting,diarrhea,stomachache(upto3in100 adolescentsand1in100adults)
(Unable to perform usual activities; required medical attention)
Tdap or Td
• Swelling,severepain,bleedingandrednessinthearm
wheretheshotwasgiven(rare).
Asevereallergicreactioncouldoccurafteranyvaccine.They
are estimated to occur less than once in a million doses.
6
What if there is a severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Anyunusualcondition,suchasasevereallergicreactionor
ahighfever.Ifasevereallergicreactionoccurred,itwould
bewithinafewminutestoanhouraftertheshot.Signsof
aseriousallergicreactioncanincludedifficulty breathing,
weakness, hoarseness or wheezing, a fast heart beat, hives,
dizziness, paleness, or swelling of the throat.
What should I do?
• Calladoctor,orgetthepersontoadoctorrightaway.
• Tellyourdoctorwhathappened,thedateandtimeithappened,
andwhenthevaccinationwasgiven.
• AskyourprovidertoreportthereactionbyfilingaVaccine
AdverseEventReportingSystem(VAERS)form.Oryoucan
filethisreportthroughtheVAERSwebsiteat
www.vaers.hhs.gov,orbycalling1-800-822-7967.
VAERS does not provide medical advice.
7
The National Vaccine Injury
Compensation Program
TheNationalVaccineInjuryCompensationProgram(VICP)
wascreatedin1986.
Persons who believe they may have been injured by a vaccine
canlearnabouttheprogramandaboutfilingaclaimbycalling
1-800-338-2382orvisitingtheVICPwebsiteat
www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation.
8
How can I learn more?
• Yourdoctorcangiveyouthevaccinepackageinsertor
suggestothersourcesofinformation.
• Callyourlocalorstatehealthdepartment.
• ContacttheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC):
- Call1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO) or
-VisitCDC’swebsiteatwww.cdc.gov/vaccines
Vaccine Information Statement (Interim)
Td & Tdap Vaccines
1/24/2012
42 U.S.C. § 300aa-26
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