TDAP and DTAP Vaccine Injuries, Vaccine Injury Compensation
And TDAP vaccine side effects.
TDaP DTaP and Td vaccine is associated with adverse reactions such as arm pain, severe allergic reactions, shoulder injuries, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
What is the TDaP, DTaP, and Td vaccine?
The distinction between the TDaP and DTaP vaccines is when they are administered. DTaP is the early childhood dosage where as the TDaP is a booster dose.
The DTaP vaccine, which protects against whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria, has ingredients like weakened toxins from the bacteria, a bit of aluminum to help your body react stronger, some preservatives to keep it safe, and stabilizers like sugar to keep it effective until it's used, all mixed in sterile water.
The Tetanus (Tetanus toxoid) portion of the vaccine, also known as Lockjaw, protects against the strain of Tetanus bacteria that can cause muscle tightening stiffness throughout the body. Those symptoms are most common in the head and neck area. The Diphtheria (Diphtheria toxoid) portion of the vaccine offers protection against the rare, but deadly Diphtheria bacteria that is capable of causing a build-up of thick bacterial coating in the back of the throat. Because of this, Diphtheria can often lead to respiratory and breathing issues, heart failure, and paralysis.
The Pertussis vaccine (Acellular pertussis vaccine) portion protects against Whooping Cough, a common sickness that induces vomiting, trouble breathing, coughing spells, along with complications such as pneumonia and even death. The Tdap vaccine is a booster shot that helps protect adolescents and adults from three potentially deadly diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Pregnant women need to get the Tdap vaccine, as it can help protect their babies from whooping cough in the first few months of life.
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Tetanus
Tetanus is an infection caused by a bacteria that produces toxins in the body. It can cause serious muscle spasms and even be fatal if left untreated.
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Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that causes a thick covering in the back of the throat and can lead to breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, and even death.
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Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can cause violent and rapid coughing, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia. It can be especially dangerous for infants and young children. Dtap vs Tdap? Dtap is used for young children whereas Tdap is used for preteens, pregnant women and adults. Consult a medical professional for specific age confirmations.
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What does the Tdap vaccine do?
The Tdap vaccine helps protect against all three of these diseases by introducing small amounts of the bacteria or virus for each disease into the body.
This triggers the immune system to create antibodies and proteins that fight off and help destroy bacteria and viruses.
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When should I get a Tdap vaccine?
Everyone over 11 should get a Tdap vaccine every ten years, or sooner if you are planning to be around young children or pregnant women.
Pregnant women should get the shot during each pregnancy, ideally between 27 and 36 weeks of gestation. The Tdap vaccine can help protect their future baby from whooping cough in the first few months of life.
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Is a Tdap shot necessary?
The Tdap shot is necessary for adolescents and adults to help protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. Pregnant women need to get the shot to protect their baby from whooping cough in the first few months of life.
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What is in Tdap and DTaP vaccines?
The TDAP vaccine contains small amounts of inactivated bacteria from the three diseases (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) as well as residual formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide or phosphate, 2-phenoxyethanol, and thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that helps prevent bacterial growth in multi-dose vials; however, all single-dose presentations of the TDAP vaccine are free of this preservative.
The information about the ingredients of the TDAP vaccine is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
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Do I need a Tdap shot to be around a baby?
Yes, the CDC recommends that any caregiver for a baby or young child get a Tdap shot at least two weeks before coming into contact with the baby.
The Tdap vaccine is to help protect the baby from these dangerous diseases.
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Is a Tdap shot the same as a tetanus shot?
No, the Tdap shot is different from the tetanus shot. The Tdap vaccine will protect against all three diseases (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), while a tetanus shot only protects from tetanus.
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Is it safe to get the Tdap vaccine?
Yes, the Tdap vaccine is generally considered safe. It is made of inactivated (not live) bacteria and viruses, which should not give you an infection. However, like any medical procedure, there can be side effects such as soreness at the injection site, fever, headaches, and tiredness.
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Does health insurance cover Tdap?
Most health insurance plans will cover the cost of a Tdap vaccine. However, checking with your insurance provider is best to ensure you are covered.
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How long is a Tdap vaccine valid?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get the Tdap shot at least every ten years.
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What is the difference between Tdap and DTaP
The main difference between the DTaP and the Tdap vaccines is that the DTaP vaccine helps protect against three diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) in children younger than 7 years old. The Tdap vaccine helps protect adolescents and adults from pertussis, as well as tetanus and diphtheria. This information comes from the CDC’s website.
TDaP, DTaP, and Td Vaccine Injuries
The Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis ("TDaP") and Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis ("DTaP") vaccines can cause various adverse reactions and injuries including shoulder injuries, Encephalitis, Encephalomyelitis ("ADEM"), and Anaphylaxis, among other injuries.
The TDaP and DTaP vaccines are administered to prevent three bacterial diseases: Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. As one of the most frequently received combination vaccines in the United States, sudden severe allergic reactions and injuries following the TDaP and DTaP vaccines are common, similar to that of tetanus shot pain. If you or a loved one has been injured, you may be entitled to compensation from a federal trust fund called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund.
Injury risks from the TDaP vaccine
Although each medical professional's goal is to practice vaccine safety protocols when performing an administration, TDaP DTaP and Td vaccine injections can sometimes result in an adverse reaction. The TDaP vaccination can cause a variety of adverse events. Below is a list of covered injuries under the Vaccine Injury Table:
What are the side effects of the TDaP vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control ("CDC") website lists the following risk of adverse reactions from the TDaP shot: injection site reactions like arm pain, redness, or swelling, mild fever, headache, feeling tired, and nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe coughing spells or stomach ache sometimes happen after TDaP vaccine.
Additionally, people sometimes faint after medical procedures, including fainting from vaccination. Tell your provider if you feel dizzy or have vision changes or ringing in the ears. In rare cases, as with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a life-threatening allergic reaction, violent coughing, and other serious injury, or death.
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What is in the TDaP and DTaP vaccines?
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Vaccine ingredients for DTaP Daptacel vaccine, made by Sanofi Pasteur, Ltd., contains the following ingredients (not in order of quantity):
- Aluminum phosphate
- Formaldehyde
- Glutaraldehyde
- 2-Phenoxyethanol
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Ingredients for the DTaP Infanrix vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, contains the following ingredients (not in order of quantity):
- Aluminum hydroxide
- Polysorbate 80
- Sodium chloride
- Formaldehyde
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Ingredients in the TDaP Adacel vaccine, made by Sanofi Pasteur, Ltd., contains the following ingredients (not in order of quantity):
- Aluminum phosphate
- Formaldehyde
- Glutaraldehyde
- 2-phenoxyethanol
- Water for injection
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Ingredients for the TDaP Boostrix vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, contains the following ingredients (not in order of quantity):
- Aluminum hydroxide
- Sodium chloride
- Formaldehyde
- Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80)
TDaP DTaP and Td vaccine schedule
As these are vaccine-preventable diseases, it is important to listen to your healthcare professional's vaccination schedule recommendation.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ("ACIP") suggests young children generally receive five (5) DTaP vaccine doses at the following ages: newborn infants at two (2) months, four (4) months, six (6) months, 15 to 18 months, and then older children around four to six (4 to 6) years of age.
However, immunity will diminish over time and therefore most health care professionals recommend a booster shot every 10 years. This booster shot may be either the Tetanus-Diphtheria dosage (whooping cough not contained) or the Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis ("TDaP") dosage where whooping cough is contained.
In review, the TDaP vaccine is essentially the same blend as DTaP except in lower doses, thus making TDaP the booster vaccine.
How to report TDaP vaccine injury
In the wake of a Tetanus Pertussis and Diphtheria vaccine injury, you should immediately notify your doctor's office. Be sure to provide the date of vaccination, the vaccine administrator’s information and the site of injection (i.e., left or right arm.) Your medical provider will ensure that you begin a course of treatment to best address your symptoms. Additionally, you should:
- Call your doctor as some tetanus vaccine injuries can be life-threatening if left untreated;
- Tell your doctor exactly what happened, the date and time of your vaccine, and where it was given;
- Ask your doctor to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System ("VAERS") form.
- Hire a vaccine injury attorney to protect your rights and ensure potential financial compensation.
VAERS stands for the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which is a program managed by the CDC. The program processes submitted reports of vaccine injuries and adverse events from those who have been injured. It is not to bring a traditional civil lawsuit against any vaccine manufacturers. It is important to note that VAERS does not diagnose those who have been injured with a vaccine injury, but rather compile data about reported adverse reactions for the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration in hopes of improving vaccine safety measures in the future. There are no restrictions to who can file a VAERS report and it is often used as supplemental evidence in vaccine cases when determining the onset of an injury or symptoms.
A TDaP or DTaP vaccine injury can be complicated so do not hesitate to reach out to us!