What to know about the tdap vaccine

Though tetanus is still possible to acquire today, cases have plummeted by more than 99 percent in the U.S. since 1947 thanks to vaccination, according to the CDC. _Diphtheria_: This is also

a bacterial infection — this time from _corynebacterium diphtheriae — _but it’s one that can be spread to close contacts, including people who live at home with you or a caretaker. The

bacteria take hold of the respiratory system, impairing your ability to breathe and swallow, and they can spread into your bloodstream to cause heart, nerve and kidney damage, possibly

leading to death. Diphtheria once was a big health threat, infecting hundreds of thousands of people and causing more than 10,000 U.S. deaths each year, particularly among children, in the

1920s. With the advent of the vaccine in the 1940s, diphtheria has all but disappeared in the U.S. In fact, there have been just 14 cases and one death from 1996 to 2018, the CDC says.

_Pertussis_: Also called whooping cough, pertussis spreads from person to person via the _bordetella pertussis_ bacteria. The bacteria harm the cilia in your airways; these are hair-like

structures that move like an escalator to keep debris and germs out of your lungs. Damaged cilia allow junk into your airways, making breathing difficult and causing a telltale cough that

sounds like a whoop. If you’ve ever seen someone with whooping cough, you know how forceful and vicious their coughing fits can be. “I’ve had patients cough so hard, they vomit or have

broken ribs,” Yancey says. The cough can linger up to three months, she adds. Pertussis has been on the rise over the last several decades, according to the CDC, and it hits children —

especially babies — hard. But adults are not immune to the illness. “It’s important not to believe that this is just a disease of children,” says June McKoy, M.D., a professor of geriatric

medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “Pertussis in adults is not as common, but you might start out with a runny nose or sneezing and then develop a cough

that becomes really severe.” BUT DO I REALLY NEED A TDAP SHOT? Experts say yes. You’ll always want to consult with your doctor about the vaccinations you need, but the CDC recommends getting

Tdap if: * You’ve never had Tdap. * It’s been 10 years since your last Tdap shot. (And you should get the jab every decade for your lifetime, McKoy says.) * It’s been five years since your

last Tdap and now you have a dirty wound or burn. In that case, you need a tetanus shot, and your provider may recommend Tdap for more full coverage.