Alabama Adult Immunization Task Force

Alabama Nurse, Mar-May 2006

The mission of the Alabama Adult Immunization Task Force is to improve the immunization rates of adolescents and adults in the State of Alabama. This includes more than the annual Flu vaccine. It includes educating the adult population on the importance of all adult immunizations and especially any changes to them. The Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that adults from 19 to 64 years of age be vaccinated with a newly licensed adult booster tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (Tdap). The new vaccine would replace the currently recommended tetanus-diphtheria vaccine used as an adult booster vaccine. The new vaccine helps protect adults from pertussis and equally important, it reduces the risk of adults transmitting pertussis to infants. (see the attached Perspective article.) The ACIP recommends that adults receive a booster of Tdap vaccine if they have not received a booster dose for tetanus and diphtheria booster in ten or more years. Pertussis affects some 600,000 adults every year and can result in weeks of coughing, cracked ribs from severe coughing spell, pneumonia, etc. In a resent press release Dr. Steve Cochi, acting director of CDC 's National Immunization Program stated "Tdap should be given to adults who will have close contact with infants less than 12 months of age. Infants less than 12 months of age have a high risk of pertussis-related complications, hospitalization and death." He also said, "Although pertussis is most serious in infants, it is also serious in adults. Even adults who don't typically come in contact with young children should be vaccinated." The; Alabama Adult Immunization Task Force encourages all adults to talk with their health care providers regarding Tdap and other adult immunization requirements. Adults are susceptible as the following account shows.

Because of my extensive training-four years of medical school, three years of pediatric residency, a two-year fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases-and because of my years of experience in practice, I had no trouble at all diagnosing my illness.