Study Suggests Adult Booster Shots For Tetanus, Diphtheria Not Cost Effective, No Longer Needed

Healio (8/5, I.Feller) reports a study suggests that “ending adult booster shots for tetanus and diphtheria could save the United States $1 billion a year and eliminate vaccinations that may not be needed.” In addition to a “five-dose DTaP series for infants and young children to protect against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis,” plus a Tdap booster for adolescents, the CDC “recommends that adults receive a booster dose of either the triple combination vaccine or one against diphtheria and tetanus every 10 years.” With that said, the researchers pointed out that “from 1996 to 2018, there were just 14 cases of diphtheria and one diphtheria death.” Furthermore, “there were no clusters of diphtheria and no evidence of outbreaks from secondary transmission thanks to 95% primary vaccination of school-age children during the time period.” Likewise, the incidence of tetanus is “less than one case per 10 million people, according to the researchers.” The study was published in Clinical Microbiology Reviews.