A booster dose of pertussis-containing vaccine is recommended for adolescents, using the reduced antigen dTpa vaccine. The optimal age for administering this dose is 11–13 years.
Adolescents need a booster dose because pertussis immunity wanes after the childhood dose at 4 years of age.7,8 The booster is essential for maintaining immunity to pertussis into adulthood.9
Adolescents are recommended to receive 1 dose of pertussis-containing vaccine, regardless of the number of previous doses of pertussis-containing vaccine they received before 10 years of age. See Catch-up vaccination for more details.
