Protect Your Baby By Immunizing Yourself

By: Magdalenne Corso, M.D.

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to get your pertussis, or whooping cough, booster immunization. We all have had five pertussis immunizations in the form of DTaP as children. However immunity to pertussis wanes five to ten years after completion of those childhood immunizations, leaving adolescents and adults susceptible to pertussis.

Pertussis vaccine was initially developed in the 1940s, leading to a dramatic decline in pertussis cases in the following decades. However, since the 1980s, pertussis cases have been on the rise. In 2005, over 25,000 cases were reported in the U.S. That’s reported cases. The actual estimated number of annual pertussis cases in the U.S. is 800,000 to 3.3 million. The risk for this illness is a very tangible one. I have treated several cases in my practice in Oregon in the last few years.

Pertussis is a respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It is transmitted from person to person through coughing or sneezing. It starts out like the common cold with a runny nose and possibly a fever. That’s when it is the most contagious. The cough may linger on for weeks to months. The cough tends to occur in bursts or paroxysms and there may be a loud “whoop” sound as you take a deep breath in to start the cough attack. It is not unusual to pass out after one of these violent cough attacks. The pressure generated during the cough episode is so strong that it has been associated with the following complications: rib fracture, hernia, rupture of an eardrum, herniation or slipping of a vertebral disc in the spine, subconjunctival (eye) hemorrhage, and others.

Infants under twelve months old are more likely to suffer from and more likely to die from pertussis than any other age group. Over 90% of deaths from pertussis occur in infants under twelve months old. 60% of infants with pertussis are sick enough to require hospitalization. It has been shown that most infants who get pertussis contract it from their parents who are also infected. That is why it is so important that every adult who takes care of your infant have the pertussis booster. The immunization is 80-90% effective at providing immunity to pertussis.

The pertussis booster vaccine is combined with the tetanus booster. It is called the TdaP. Adults 19 to 64 years old should get this vaccine if it has been more than 10 years since their last tetanus shot and if they have previously not received TdaP. However, postpartum women and all contacts of infants under 12 months old should not wait the 10 years since their last tetanus shot to get the TdaP booster. It is safe and recommended for anyone in close contact with infants to get a TdaP if it has been more than two years since their last tetanus shot. That means parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and any caregivers. You only need to get the TdaP booster once. So get yourself immunized and spread the word to all those other folks that come to take care of and hug and kiss your baby!


Dr. Magdalenne Corso is a board certified pediatrician practicing at Oregon Pediatrics- Meridian Park . She completed her medical training and pediatric residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois. Dr. Corso loves working with children and their parents to keep them informed about their health and help them make healthy choices. Find out more about Dr. Corso and Oregon Pediatrics at www.oregonpediatrics.com

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