Prevention of pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria among pregnant, postpartum women, and infants.

Pertussis disease in the United States has been increasing since 1976 and many states are reporting epidemics. Pertussis is more severe in infants less than 3 months of age and is characterized by high hospital admission rates, apnea of the infant. The CDC recommends that Tdap be administered to all pregnant women after the 20th week of gestation to provide pertussis antibodies to the fetus which will offer protection against pertussis disease. Tdap is highly immunogenetic in the pregnant women and has an excellent safety profile. Tdap given to the postpartum patient and her cocoon family is an alternative strategy.