[SaneVax: Tdap vaccine and older patients: How can a staff writer for MedPage Today possibly say that a four-fold increased risk of anaphylaxis (a rapidly progressing, life-threatening allergic reaction) and no analysis of ‘unexpected adverse events’ shows a vaccine to be safe? What kind of safety study does not look for unexpected adverse events? Isn’t that the whole purpose of a safety study?]
Tdap Vaccine Shown Safe in Older Patients
By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
The tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine appears to be as safe and effective as the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine in patients ages 65 and older, researchers found.
Patients who received the Tdap vaccine had similar safety outcomes as those who received the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine for a number of adverse event outcomes, according to Hung Fu Tseng, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues.
However, participants receiving the Tdap vaccine had a nearly four-fold risk of anaphylaxis and generalized reaction, as well as an increased risk of medically attended inflammatory or allergic events within 6 days of vaccine administration, they wrote online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Weigh your risk & benefits options – The miniscule rate of adverse reactions with TDAP versus contracting the diseases the vaccine is targetted towards. Your Pertussis infection spread to your newborn grandchild is not desirable.