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Boostrix is a new vaccine that offers protection against tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis or whooping cough.
According to the FDA, it is 'the first combination vaccine that provides a booster immunization against pertussis (whooping cough) in combination with tetanus and diphtheria for adolescents.'
Boostrix will likely replace the Td (tetanus and diphtheria booster) that teens are already getting, so it won't mean an extra shot. Instead, they will now get the added protection of having a shot that provides protection against pertussis, 'a highly communicable disease of the respiratory tract that can be especially serious for infants less than one year old, and may even be fatal. Pertussis can cause spells of coughing and choking that make breathing difficult. The disease is generally less severe in adolescents, but it is thought that they might transmit the disease to susceptible infants and other family members. In the last 20 years, rates of pertussis infection have been increasing in very young infants who have not received all their immunizations and in adolescents and adults.'
Boostrix can be given to adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18.
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