Should DTaP or Tdap be used after confirmed diagnosis of pertussis disease?
Children who have recovered from documented pertussis do not need additional doses of DTaP. These children should complete the series with DT. Satisfactory documentation includes recovery of B. pertussis on culture, or typical symptoms and clinical course when these are epidemiologically linked to a culture-confirmed case, as may occur during outbreaks. However, when such confirmation of diagnosis is lacking, vaccination should be completed because cough illness may be caused by another Bordetella species, other bacteria, or certain viruses. Tdap can be administered as soon as two years after a culture-confirmed pertussis infection but no longer than 10 years after the last tetanus- and diphtheria-containing vaccine. Tdap should be administered according to the routine schedule at any interval after pertussis (except during acute illness) if the diagnosis was confirmed by any method other than culture.
