Vaccines. The vaccine given to babies to protect them from whooping cough does not last their throughout their lifetime but needs to be updated. Teenagers and adults who haven’t been vaccinated since they were babies or young children need to have booster shots. If they don’t, they can easily come down with whooping cough if they’re exposed to the bacteria.
The vaccine given to young children is the DTaP. It protects not just against whooping cough but against other problems including tetanus. The schedule for childhood vaccinations are two months, four months, six months, 15 to 18 months and four to six years.
The vaccine given to older people is the Tdap. It is also given to pregnant women in the 27th to 36th month of every pregnancy. This vaccine also protects against other conditions as well as whooping cough.
