The Montclair Health Department is offering the whooping cough vaccine at cost – $35 per vaccination – to township residents. Until recently, no vaccine existed to protect adolescents and adults against pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. Now, there is a new vaccine, Adacel or Tdap, which prevents this highly contagious disease in the 11 through 64 age group.

Pertussis is a bacterial infection that damages the lungs, causing painful spasms of coughing that can last 6-10 weeks. It starts out with a mild cough and cold like symptoms, which become severe after 10-12 days. It is spread by coughing and sneezing.

The incidence of pertussis in persons over age 15 increased an astounding 452% during 1994-2003. Many cases go undiagnosed. Infants typically catch the disease from infected teenagers and adults living in the home, whose immunity has waned. Protection wanes 5-10 years after the last booster received in childhood. Infants do not start to receive immunization until they are 2 months old.

Therefore, adults and teens receiving this vaccine are protecting unimmunized infants from disease. Pertussis in infants can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and death. The vaccine, Adacel, is administered together with Tetanus and diphtheria vaccine, all in one shot. Receipt of this new combination of vaccines is recommended 5 years after the last tetanus vaccination. Side effects may be absent. If they do occur, the most common side effects are pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, and headache, fatigue, body ache or fever.

Other vaccines offered at the Montclair Health Department for adults and adolescents, include hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps and rubella, polio and meningitis vaccines.

Please do your part in protecting yourself and your family against this sometimes fatal disease by calling the Montclair Health Department at 973-509-4974. Vaccinations are administered on Mondays between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.