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If you're a parent, nanny or someone who has close contact with an infant, arm yourself against whooping cough by getting vaccinated. On Monday, Loren Pace, a registered nurse at the Westport Weston Health District, announced that the Tdap vaccine is available at the health district.
Tdap is an abbreviation for Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis. The vaccine, supplied by the Connecticut Department of Public Health's Immunization Program, is recommended for all people who have close contact with infants.
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a contagious respiratory illness, Pace said in a statement. Typical signs and symptoms include uncontrollable, violent coughing and/or inspiratory whoop, and /or vomiting after coughing. Any person with a cough lasting 14 days or more who has one of the other symptoms should be seen by their physician immediately.
Those eligible for the Tdap vaccine include post-partum women, mothers and fathers of babies in neonatal intensive care units, adoptive families, siblings, and household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 12 months old.
The vaccine is free, but there is $21 vaccine administration fee. For more information or to schedule a vaccine appointment, call Loren Pace at 203-227-9571, Ext. 231.
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