Each spring and fall, as children receive checkups for camp and school, health care providers review their focus on immunization update as scores of children present for their annual physical examinations. In each community, immunization requirements for school entry exist for nursery, preschool and high school aged youngsters. Today's children are expected to complete a complex schedule of initial vaccinations and first boosters by 18 months of age with repeat boosters between age 4 and 6 years. Vaccines are listed under the routinely recommended ages.
Bars indicate range of acceptable ages for vaccination.
New recommendations in immunizing children are forthcoming in the near future and should improve safety and efficacy. In spite of the use of this vaccine, cases of whooping cough persist in the United States. Reasons for this persistence include incomplete vaccination, variable whole cell vaccine efficacy, waning immunity with age and time since the last dose and a persistent human reservoir. Whole cell pertussis vaccine's side effects are a concern of parents and health care providers. It is expected that in January 1997, the ACIP and AAP will meet to review the current usage of DaPT and state their official recommendations.