Panel advises pertussis vaccine for teens

WASHINGTON, Jun 30, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A panel of experts that advises the federal government recommended Thursday that teenagers receive a booster vaccine against whooping cough to help stem a rising number of cases of the potentially deadly disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advised that adolescents receive a booster shot after they reach age 11 to protect them from contracting whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

The decision was welcomed by infectious diseases and vaccination groups.

"The number of reported cases of pertussis continues to rise across the United States at a rate of great concern to the public health and medical communities," said Dr. Susan J. Rehm, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and a physician at the Cleveland Clinic in the Department of Infectious Disease.

"These recommendations should help counter this rise and allow for protection of a wider population," Rehm added.

David A. Neumann, executive director of the National Partnership for Immunization, called the recommendation "a milestone in the fight against pertussis in the United States."

Although most infants are vaccinated against pertussis, the protective effects begin to wane during adolescence. The concern is teens and adults can carry whooping cough and spread it to infants too young to have been fully immunized and who are susceptible to the more severe complications of the disease, including death.

In 2004 there were nearly 19,000 cases of pertussis, up from 11,700 in 2003. The number of cases in adults age 20 or older nearly doubled during that time period, increasing from 2,854 cases in 2003 to 5,365 in 2004.

"There has been an alarming 743 percent increase in reported adolescent pertussis cases in the last decade," Neumann noted. "Due to these troubling statistics, it is critical for adolescents to receive extended protection against pertussis."

In addition to the complications the disease can cause in infants, adolescents and adults also can suffer severe consequences, including pneumonia and coughing so hard they break a rib.

Until recently, no pertussis vaccines were approved for use in teens, but in the last two months the Food and Drug Administration approved two such vaccines.

GlaxoSmithKline's Boostrix, which was approved in May, is indicated for use in those 10 to 18 years of age. Adacel, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis Group, was approved in June for use in individuals ranging in age from 11 to 64.

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