I promised that I would get around to discussing each vaccination individually. I am not an expert and this is not medical advice. Vaccines are very controversial and I certainly respect, even believe in every parent’s right to choose the best course of action for their children. My purpose is to try to provide good information for parents who are navigating their way through their child’s vaccinations. I have taken my information from several sources, including but not limited to the CDC website as well as Dr. Sears’ Vaccination Book. If you have a question please feel free to ask in the comment section below or join our ongoing discussion in the forums.
DTaP stands for diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis. There are currently three brands of DTaP vaccine to choose from:
Infanrix by GlaxoSmithKline
Tripedia by Sanofi-Pasteur
Daptacel by Sanofi-Pasteur
While diptheria and tetanus are not that common in the United States, pertussis is. Pertussis is commonly known as the whooping cough and approximately 600,000 children get it every year. However, before the vaccine, approximately 8,000 children per year, died from whooping cough. Now whooping cough causes approximately 10 deaths per year.
There are also variations of this vaccine, either DT or just a plain tetanus vaccine. H however, since pertussis is the most serious disease that this vaccine prevents, it wouldn’t make sense to get the others. Some people who are older may have heard of a DTP vaccine. The difference between the DTaP and the DTP is that the DTaP uses significantly less virus. The ‘a’ stands for a cellular whereas the old DTP vaccine used the whole pertussis virus to prompt an immune response. Consequently, severe reactions with this vaccine are rare.
When the DTaP is given: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 18 months and again at 5 years
Common Side Effects: soreness, redness or mild swelling at the site; in rare cases patients suffer anaphylaxis–a severe allergic reaction. It is important to note though that no one has every died from anaphylaxis caused by a vaccine.
Related Articles:
Are Vaccines Safe? Other Things You Should Know
Are Vaccines Safe? Looking at Safety Differently