Three simple reasons to talk to your doctor about vaccinating yourself against pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.
Know the Impact
Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial Infection that can cause serious complications, not just for children.
- Whooping cough can cause uncontrollable, severe, and prolonged coughing attacks, leading to complications and even death.
- Pertussis transmission most commonly occurs person-to-person through contact with respiratory droplets or by contact with airborne droplets of respiratory secretions.
- One infected person can transmit whooping cough to as many as 17 other people.
Know the Risks
You are more likely to be infected with pertussis if you have a chronic lung disease like asthma.
- Adults with asthma have a 4x greater risk of whooping cough compared with people without asthma.
- You may be more vulnerable to pertussis infection because your asthma could lead to excessive mucus production caused by inflamed and tightened airways.
- More than 87% of adults hospitalized with whooping cough have at least one underlying medical condition, asthma being one of the most common.
HELP PROTECT YOURSELF
There's an adult pertussis vaccine known as "Tdap" that also helps protect against tetanus (lockjaw) and diphtheria.
- Vaccination has been shown to be more than 80% efficacious at preventing severe pertussis disease.
- CDC recommends that every adult get a Tdap vaccine to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading pertussis.
Help protect yourself from
PERTUSSIS
especially if you have asthma.
about Tdap vaccination today.