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The Center for Vaccine Awareness and
Research has begun implementing “The Cocoon Strategy” vaccination
program to protect newborn infants from the life-threatening
infection pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough. This
cocoon vaccination strategy has been recommended by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2006 but is not routine
in healthcare organizations. The “cocoon strategy” aims to protect
newborn infants from becoming infected with pertussis by
administering Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis)
booster vaccines to mothers and family members of newborn infants.
In this way, mothers and family members are protected from getting
pertussis and passing it on to their young infants.
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Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial
infection of the respiratory system that caused many deaths before
the availability of the childhood pertussis vaccines (DTaP). Recent
statistics show that pertussis is on the rise again. According to
the CDC, over 50,000 cases were reported in the United States in
2004 and 2005, the largest number since the 1950s. This increase is
due to an epidemic of pertussis in adolescents and adults who have
lost their immunity from their childhood vaccines and need a booster
vaccine. While this population has less severe consequences from the
infection, they may spread pertussis to infants are too young to
have received DTaP vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Young
infants have a higher rate of pertussis than any other age group and
87-100% of all deaths from pertussis occur in infants less than 6
months of age. Even when not fatal, two thirds of young infants with
pertussis need to be hospitalized and they may have serious
complications such as pneumonia, seizures and brain damage. Three
quarters of infants who get pertussis most often get it from people
who live in their home, one third from their mother, who often don’t
realize they have the infection.
Under the direction of
Dr. C. Mary Healy,
program leader and director of Vaccinology and Maternal
Immunization, the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research will
administer Tdap booster vaccine to approximately 5,800 families at
Houston’s Ben Taub General Hospital, administering over 17,000 shots in the first year.
The “cocoon strategy” involves first educating the mother and her
family about pertussis and the Tdap vaccine before administering
booster vaccine. The program team, working in collaboration with
BTGH staff, is prepared to communicate with families in English and
Spanish. The first phase of this program, vaccinating mothers, is
already underway with plans to initiate vaccination of other family
members within the next 6 weeks. The first year of this program is
made possible by a grant from the Baylor Methodist Community Health
Fund.
“This program enables us to provide pertussis education and CDC
recommended Tdap booster vaccines to adult family members that need
it, helping protect the most vulnerable – newborn and young
infants.” said Dr. Healy. “At the same time, we will explore
efficient processes to optimize this intervention and potentially
reduce serious pertussis disease in our community.”
 
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