It is also necessary to prevent whooping cough before vaccination for the elderly corona19

There is a need for interest in whooping cough, which is increasing the risk for the elderly, such as’grandpa’ (grandfather + dad) and’halma’ (grandmother + mother) who take care of grandchildren and granddaughters on behalf of dual-income children. While the incidence of whooping cough, which has been known as a fatal disease to infants and young children, has declined and has been forgotten in memory, with a recurrent epidemic in Korea and the recent increase in the incidence of elderly people in their 60s or older, there is concern about secondary outbreaks in families with newborns and infants with weak immunity. It is a situation.

According to the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 35970 new vaccinations per day on the 5th.

As a result, the number of people who completed the first vaccination since the vaccination began in Korea on February 26 was counted as a total of 9,998,70 as of the 5th.

Because the safety and efficacy data for the simultaneous vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine are insufficient, it is recommended to inoculate it alone. In order to avoid interfering effects between vaccination immune response and treatment, it is necessary to maintain a minimum interval of 2 weeks before and after the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 2 weeks before and after the second dose.

Among these, pertussis, which can be prevented through the Tdap vaccine before and after the COVID-19 vaccination, also needs attention. The secondary incidence rate of whooping cough reaches 80% in the family, and cyclic outbreaks are being confirmed at 2-3 year intervals at home and abroad.

Pertussis caused by Bordetella pertussis has been known as a fatal disease for infants and toddlers. However, like the United States and the United Kingdom, where pertussis vaccines have been distributed, the rate of whooping cough among the elderly is gradually increasing in Korea.

In fact, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proportion of patients over 60 in Korea has been increasing year by year from 2018. In 2020, last year, 9.6% more patients than those under the age of 9 (25.6%) occurred in their 60s or older (35.2%), accounting for more than those under the age of 9.

As the possibility of infant and infant infection has been raised by adult whooping cough patients with reduced immunity, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) revised the’Adult Vaccination Guide’ in 2018 and recommended by strengthening the Tdap vaccination target. In order to minimize the risk of whooping cough in newborns and infants, it was expanded and concreted from existing pregnant women to siblings and grandparents in families with infants.

Professor Joon Joon of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Guro Hospital of Korea University said, “In consideration of the characteristics of whooping cough disease, which is fatal to the elderly over the age of 65, not only yourself, but also to prevent infection of newborn babies and infants and grandchildren with weak immunity. Tdap vaccination to prevent whooping cough is necessary. “In the case of elderly people 65 years of age or older who were excluded from the corona vaccination this February to March, a specialist before the corona vaccination with special attention to prevent secondary spread in the home. It would be better to prevent whooping cough with Tdap vaccine through consultation with him.”

Meanwhile, GSK’s Boostrix is ​​the only Tdap vaccine licensed for use in the elderly over the age of 65 in Korea. Boostrix can be vaccinated by adolescents and adults over the age of 10 and even over the age of 65 and prevents whooping cough, as well as diphtheria and tetanus. Reporter Jong-ho Jang [email protected]