Whats the Difference Between DTaP and Tdap?
Both vaccines contain inactivated forms of the toxin produced by the bacteria that cause the three diseases. Inactivated means the substance no longer produces disease, but does trigger the body to create antibodies that give it immunity against the toxins. DTaP is approved for children under 7. Tdap, which has a reduced dose of the diphtheria and pertussis vaccines, is approved for adolescents starting at the age of 11 or 12 and adults ages 19 to 64. Immunity wears off over time. So the current recommendation is that everyone needs a booster shot for tetanus and diphtheria every 10 years after first being immunized. That booster comes in the form of a vaccine called Td. But since immunity to pertussis also wears off during childhood, a weaker form of the pertussis vaccine has been added to the booster to make the vaccine Tdap. The current recommendation is that one dose of the Tdap vaccine be substituted for one dose of the Td vaccine between the ages of 11 and 64.
