Adequately vaccinated mothers pass protection to their infants through the placenta. In the United States, tetanus occurs almost exclusively in persons who are unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated. Vaccination is a part of routine childhood immunizations. Pertussis Pertussis is a bacterial disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis . Controversy regarding the safety of pertussis vaccine led to much investigation into the whole cell pertussis vaccine.
Current recommendations call for use of the acellular pertussis or more purified pertussis vaccine.
This is due to the superior safety profile of the acellular vaccine. It is important to note that the benefits of the DTaP vaccination outweighs the risks. In children, this bacteria is responsible for numerous cases of meningitis, blood, ear, and other serious types of infections. The treatment of common pneumococcal infections has been complicated in recent years by the development of resistance to penicillins and other antibiotics. Therefore the CDC has added this vaccination to the routine childhood immunization schedule.