Takeaway
Skipping DTaP Shot Boosts Pertussis Risk
Study
Researchers found that missing some doses of the diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine increases the risk of whooping cough in young children.
Children (ages 3 to 36 months) who missed three doses of the DTaP vaccine were nearly 19 times more likely to develop pertussis than those appropriately vaccinated, and those who missed four doses were 28 times more likely to develop the disease per Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Source: JAMA Pediatrics.
Undervaccination is an increasing trend, for a variety of reasons, including parental choice. And it is an important contributing factor in recent pertussis outbreaks across the country.