With the summer break for students half over, school officials want to remind parents with children starting seventh grade in the fall that their children must have the Tdap vaccine to enroll in school. Doctors are urging parents to get the shot sooner rather than later.
“Vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective, and vaccines save lives,” said John Gaudet, M.D. “That pretty much sums it up in my view. These are not conditions that are just theoretical risks, and it’s very important for everyone to get their boosters.”
Gaudet has been a pediatrician at Merit Health Wesley Medical Group in Hattiesburg for more than 20 years. He said the best way to schedule the vaccine would be to call your child’s pediatrician and schedule a wellness check-up along with the vaccination.
“If everybody is waiting until the first day of kindergarten, seventh grade or college, then it can be a big traffic jam in the doctor’s office, so I usually tell folks ‘don’t wait until August, just go ahead and do it right now, and get it out of the way,’” he said.
The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (also known as whooping cough).
“(Tdap) is basically a reformulation of a very old vaccine that has been around for many, many years,” Gaudet said. “The conditions it protects you against are still potentially life-threatening.”
Tetanus, according to the CDC website, is found in bacteria in soil and can cause many complications. One out of every five people that contract tetanus dies, but the Mississippi State Department of Health has seen zero cases as of March in 2019.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection of the nose that creates a poison in the respiratory system. This poison builds up in the throat and nose, making it hard to breathe and can even spread into the lungs and bloodstream. It can also cause paralysis or heart failure, as well. The MSDH said the vaccine has made diphtheria extremely rare. There have been no cases of diphtheria in the state this year.
The CDC said pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes uncontrollable coughing.
“I have personally taken care of babies with whooping cough (pertussis), and it can be a devastating illness,” Gaudet said.
Pertussis is most common among infants and, there have been 10 cases of pertussis in Mississippi this year as of March, according to the MSHD. Gaudet said these statistics can be misleading because vaccines are the reason these conditions are now rare.
He also said the Tdap’s immunization effect wanes with time and people young and old should get it every five to 10 years. He said the reason students entering seventh grade are required to get the vaccine is because children typically get the Tdap vaccinations between two months and six years old to go to school. By seventh grade, a child’s Tdap vaccination has worn off, and they need a booster shot. He said the vaccine is also safe for pregnant women to get.
“The boosters have to be given every five to 10 years, and believe it or not, that is for the rest of your life,” he said.
Gaudet said the price varies for the vaccination depending on doctor’s office and insurance coverage. He said nearly all insurances cover the Tdap shot, but if insurances don’t cover it, families may receive the vaccine at the local health department at a reduced cost.
“Vaccines are important enough that we try to make sure everyone can have access to them without a big out-of-pocket cost,” he said.
Becky Shipp, RN, director of the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Immunization Program said to check with your physician or county health department, Forrest County Health Department, located at 5008 Old Highway 42, Hattiesburg, or the Lamar County Health Department, 207 Main St A, Purvis, if you any questions about immunizations. She said the price for the vaccination varies between insurances, but if your child qualifies for the Vaccines for Children program, the vaccine will cost $10 at county health departments.
