Why get vaccinated?

Tdap vaccine can prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.

Diphtheria and pertussis spread from person to person. Tetanus enters the body through cuts or wounds.

• TETANUS (T) causes painful stiffening of the muscles. Tetanus can lead to serious health problems, including being unable to open the mouth, having trouble swallowing and breathing, or death.
• DIPHTHERIA (D) can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death.
• PERTUSSIS (aP), also known as "whooping cough," can cause uncontrollable, violent coughing that makes it hard to breathe, eat, or drink. Pertussis can be extremely serious especially in babies and young children, causing pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage, or death. In teens and adults, it can cause weight loss, loss of bladder control, passing out, and rib fractures from severe coughing.