Vaccines to prevent diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus are given in different combinations depending on the patient’s age and their vaccination history.

DT and Td provide protection against diphtheria and tetanus.

DTaP and Tdap provide protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria (D) can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death.

In 1921, more than 200,000 cases of diphtheria were reported in the United States, causing more than 15,000 deaths. However, diphtheria rates began dropping quickly in the 1920s with widespread vaccination. Since 2010, only 3 cases of diphtheria in the Unites States were reported to the CDC.

Because protection declines over time, adults need to get a Td or Tdap booster shot every 10 years to stay protected.

Tetanus

Tetanus (T) causes painful stiffening of the muscles, and can lead to being unable to open the mouth, having trouble swallowing and breathing, or death.

In the late 1940s, more than 500 cases of tetanus were reported each year. Since the tetanus vaccine became part of the routine childhood immunization schedule, tetanus infections have steadily declined.

Today, tetanus is rare in the United States, with an average of 30 cases each year. Nearly every case appears in a person who either never received a tetanus vaccine or did not stay up to date on their booster shots.

As with diphtheria, tetanus protection decreases over time, so adults need to get a Td or Tdap booster shot every 10 years to stay protected.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis (aP), also known as “whooping cough,” can cause uncontrollable, violent coughing which makes it hard to breathe, eat, or drink. Pertussis can be extremely serious in babies and young children, causing pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage, or death. In teens and adults, it can cause weight loss, loss of bladder control, passing out, and rib fractures from severe coughing.

Before the pertussis vaccines became widely available in the 1940s, about 200,000 children got sick and about 9,000 died from whooping cough each year in the United States. Cases decreased from the 1940s to the 1970s, but have steadily increased since that time. Reasons that may be contributing to the increase include improved diagnostic tests, better reporting, more spread of the bacteria, and waning immunity from current vaccines.

Learn more about the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines.

Most side effects after vaccination are mild. They include:

• Pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given
• Mild fever
• Chills
• Feeling tired
• Headache
• Muscle and joint aches

Although serious side effects following vaccination are rare, they do occur.

The U.S. government created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to reimburse people who suffer a serious injury as the result of a vaccine.

All vaccines administered to children and many vaccines administered to adults are covered by the federal vaccine program, including the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines.

Injuries that can occur after a diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine include:

• (SIRVA) Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration
• Anaphylaxis
• Vasovagal syncope Coma
• Prolonged seizures
• GBS
• Nervous problem

Our experienced vaccine injury team will discuss your options with you. If you are eligible, we can guide you through the process of applying to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and help you get all the compensation you deserve.

We have represented people with vaccine injuries for more than thirty years. We know that these injuries can be life-changing and debilitating.

Our consultation is free, and if you win an award, our fees do not come out of your settlement. Any attorney’s fees are paid separately by the Vaccine Fund. You will never pay a fee for our assistance.