Display Settings:

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

    Acad Pediatr. 2009 Sep-Oct;9(5):344-7. Epub 2009 Jul 12.

    Cocooning infants: Tdap immunization for new parents in the pediatric office.

    Walter EB, Allred N, Rowe-West B, Chmielewski K, Kretsinger K, Dolor RJ.

    Primary Care Research Consortium, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. walte002@mc.duke.edu

    Comment in:

    OBJECTIVE: Vaccination with tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) is recommended for adults who have close contact with infants aged <12 months to protect young infants from infection due to Bordetella pertussis. This study assessed the acceptance of Tdap vaccination among parents bringing their newborn to a pediatric office during the first month of life. METHODS: Parents of all newborns were consecutively approached for participation by a study coordinator who provided written information about the study and a Tdap vaccine information sheet. After obtaining informed consent, a study coordinator reviewed contraindications for Tdap vaccination. Tdap vaccine was given by a clinic nurse, but parents with a history of ever receiving Tdap vaccine or of receiving a tetanus and diphtheria vaccine (Td) within the previous 2 years were excluded. RESULTS: Two hundred parents were approached for study participation, of whom 40 (20%) were ineligible to receive Tdap vaccine primarily due to receipt of Td vaccine within the previous 2 years (32/40). Of the 160 eligible to receive Tdap vaccine, 82 (51.2%) received a dose. Although nearly 60% of vaccinated parents received Tdap vaccine the first time they were approached, over 40% received Tdap vaccine at a subsequent office visit occurring during the baby's first month of life. CONCLUSIONS: Offering Tdap vaccine in the pediatric office increases access to vaccination for both new fathers and mothers. When hospital-based, postpartum Tdap vaccination is not a routine practice, office-based vaccination of parents offers an option for protecting young infants.

    PMID: 19596219 [PubMed - in process]

    Supplemental Content

    Click here to read

    Patient drug information

    • Tetanus and Diphtheria Vaccine

      Information regarding the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine (Td) has been merged with the monograph for tetanus, diphetheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine.