Pertussis vaccination issue

[onlytemp]

so i was gonna get the dTaP booster for med school... but i had a dT booster last year (aug 07).... so i can't get the dTaP for another 5 years because pertussis vaccine doesn't come on its own and can't get dTaP that often....

 

anyone in similar situation? is there anything i could do? is pertussis a big problem in hospitals for pre-clearkship?

 

i guess the potential risk increase dramatically when i start clerkship, right?

 

i heard that some travelors to pertussis-endemic areas can shorten the 5 years gap and take the vaccine earlier... so i could ask for a dTaP booster 3 years from now when i start clerkship...?

 

any comments appreciated. thanks

[Satsuma]

dTap isn`t a routine immunization for adults. You aren`t required to have it for med school.

 

What makes you specifically worried about it?

 

You will probably see a case of pertussis in your clerkship. But the most serious complications tend to happen in young children and the elderly. Even older children usually don`t need to be hospitalised if they get it.

 

If you are concerned you really should talk to your doctor. It isn`t the end of the world to have repeated immunizations...just increases the chances of local reactions I believe (like arm swelling etc). But I have never encountered anyone worried about pertussis ...you probably should talk to your doctor.

[onlytemp]

dTap isn`t a routine immunization for adults. You aren`t required to have it for med school.

 

What makes you specifically worried about it?

 

You will probably see a case of pertussis in your clerkship. But the most serious complications tend to happen in young children and the elderly. Even older children usually don`t need to be hospitalised if they get it.

 

If you are concerned you really should talk to your doctor. It isn`t the end of the world to have repeated immunizations...just increases the chances of local reactions I believe (like arm swelling etc). But I have never encountered anyone worried about pertussis ...you probably should talk to your doctor.

 

o hey satsuma, thanks for your reply

 

the reason i asked is its one of the things to be immunized against on the UofT immunization form... and i'm worried about it because if i do get whopping cough, i'll cough for a long time and be contagious.... which means it'll significantly affect school right?

 

yah i am going to talk to my doc about taking the vaccine after 3 years instead of 5.... just wanna get some different perspectives. thanks

[Ollie]

Hey,

 

I had a similar situation when I started at UofT. I got the DPT (diptheria, polio, tetanus) sans pertussis when I started med school, because my doctor didn't have the one that contained pertussis. UofT seemed fine with me not having the pertussis vaccine until the beginning of my 4th year, when they decided we really did need pertussis, so I got DTaP three years after my previous booster.

[rogerroger]

so i was gonna get the dTaP booster for med school... but i had a dT booster last year (aug 07).... so i can't get the dTaP for another 5 years because pertussis vaccine doesn't come on its own and can't get dTaP that often....

 

 

I was in a similar boat a few weeks ago. Yet, my doctor simply gave me the new booster. He said that doubling up on the others was ok for one who is at high risk of being exposed to pertussis in the future.

 

Hope you get it all sorted soon!

[tearless]

can anybody from ualberta say anything about this?

 

i don't think Td booster after 3 years will be a major issue, you should be able to get dTaP if you really wanted, i'm considering the same thing.

[chemgirl]

I asked at the health center at my school about this... right now, the only reason I would get it is that McGill medical school requires you to have it if you want to do an elective there... even if you have dT already.