Safety and efficacy of DTaP-IPV vaccine use in healthcare workers for prevention of pertussis

Pertussis can be fatal for infants. The best way to prevent infant pertussis is to promote adult immunization. However, Tdap has not been licensed in Japan, so we investigated the effect and safety of the DTaP-IPV vaccine instead. The study examined 154 pediatric healthcare workers. Participants without effective levels of antibodies against pertussis toxin were given DTaP-IPV, reduced to 0.2 mL. In total, 48 of the 154 participants (31.2%) were seronegative for pertussis toxin. After vaccination of the seronegative participants, 40 of the 41 measured (97.5%) had acquired an effective response, and all 35 of those tested maintained a protective antibody level ten months after vaccination. Redness was observed in 14 of the 41 (34.1%) and soreness in 19 (46.3%). This study demonstrated that vaccination with reduced 0.2 mL DTaP-IPV successfully provided effective immunity. At least ten months after vaccination, all subjects maintained an adequate level of antibodies.