A new study indicates that adults do not need tetanus or diphtheria boosters.
- For those who were vaccinated as children, boosters for tetanus and diphtheria are not necessary
- Following vaccination recommendations for children protects them for life against these diseases which can be fatal
Legislation on vaccines could evolve thanks to a study. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the US equivalent of our High Authority for Health, is working with other agencies in various countries around the world to review recommendations for tetanus or diphtheria boosters.
Latest research from scientists at the University of Oregon School of Medicine (USA) shows that adults do not need tetanus or diphtheria boosters if they have already completed their series of vaccinations children against these diseases. The results of their research, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseasesare consistent with recent World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to avoid injecting tetanus and diphtheria vaccines into adults who received a full series of vaccines as children.
Vaccination coverage valid for life
To reach this conclusion, the researchers compared WHO statistics on millions of people from 31 countries in North America and Europe between 2001 and 2016. The team looked in particular at the campaigns of vaccine boosters for adults in these different countries, and classified them into two groups. In the first group, booster campaigns for diphtheria and tetanus are mandatory every five years (even every 20 years for some countries). The second group includes all countries where booster vaccination is not compulsory.
Comparing the two groups, the researchers’ results found that whether or not adults were given the two vaccines made no significant difference. For Mark Slifka, professor at the University of Oregon School of Medicine and author of the study, “this study is pro vaccine. Everyone should receive their series of tetanus and diphtheria vaccines as children. However, once they have, our data indicates that they should be protected for life.” The research is also gaining momentum because it could help save the United States about $1 billion a year in medical costs.
“Based on our new data, it turns out that we were probably too conservative in 2016. Although it looked like immunity could be sustained for decades, we had no direct evidence at the time that this would translate into true protection against disease in the real worldsays Mark Slifka. However, our new data provides the final piece of the puzzle. We now have evidence that the series of childhood vaccines can provide lifelong protection against tetanus and diphtheria.”
Tetanus and diphtheria
Tetanus is a known bacterial infection whose symptoms include jaw cramps, painful muscle spasms, difficulty swallowing and breathing, seizures, convulsions and, in severe cases, death. It is spread by bacteria usually found in dirt or feces, or on contaminated objects such as fingernails or needles. Every year, about 30 people in the United States get tetanus, and one or two in ten cases can be fatal. Deaths associated with tetanus almost always occur in people who have not been vaccinated or whose vaccination history is incomplete or unknown.
Diphtheria, on the other hand, is a bacterial infection that causes a thick coating at the back of the throat, which can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death. It is spread through exposure to infected people or, in rare cases, infected animals. In the past ten years, fewer than five cases of diphtheria have been reported in the United States. In an unvaccinated population, about one in ten cases can be fatal. However, more than 99.8% of vaccinated people diagnosed with diphtheria survive after receiving appropriate care.
Prior to vaccination, there were approximately 470 tetanus-associated deaths and 1,800 diphtheria-associated deaths each year in the United States. Deaths from tetanus and diphtheria have fallen by more than 99% since vaccines became available to prevent them.
For its part, the WHO does not give any indication on the vaccination of tetanus and diphtheria in adulthood, (except for cases where people began their vaccination phases in adolescence or adulthood). Ideally, the Organization recommends starting the vaccination campaign as early as possible in life ; the first of three injections of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, known as DTC, can be given from the age of six weeks. If this schedule is respected, the last reminders for these diseases are carried out in adolescents aged 15 years.
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