Society for Adolescent Medicine Statement on the FDA Licensure of Adacel Vaccine

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 13 Jun 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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The Society for Adolescent Medicine supports the US Food and Drug Administration's decision to license Adacel(TM) (Tetanus Toxoid and Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Absorbed) Vaccine to protect against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus in adolescents and adults. The vaccine was developed by sanofi pasteur.

"As our mission is to promote the health and well-being of adolescents, we welcome the addition of another vaccine to help protect teens against pertussis," said Vaughn I. Rickert, PsyD, past president of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. "Pertussis is increasingly a family disease as adolescents and adults are at risk of contracting the disease as a result of waning immunity over time, and then transmitting it to others, particularly infants who are too young to have been fully immunized and who are at greatest risk of serious complications and death."

Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough due to the "whooping" sound made by infected individuals while gasping for breath, is a highly contagious disease. It is the only vaccine-preventable disease on the rise in the United States, with the number of cases escalating significantly in recent years. Reported cases jumped from 11,600 in 2003 to nearly 19,000 in 2004.

Adolescents comprise more than one-third of all cases. While pertussis is typically mild in adolescents, many suffer from a severe and prolonged cough as well as disrupted home and school routines. One study reported that adolescents with pertussis miss an average of 5.5 days of school.

"If widely used, these vaccines could make an impact in curbing the number of pertussis cases and lessening the disease's human and financial tolls," noted Dr. Rickert.

About the Society for Adolescent Medicine

The Society for Adolescent Medicine, founded in 1968, is the only multidisciplinary professional healthcare organization in the United States exclusively committed to improving the physical and psychological health and well being of adolescents. Its principal activities include the development, synthesis and dissemination of scientific and scholarly knowledge unique to the health needs of adolescents; professional development of students, trainees, and practicing clinicians on adolescent health; as well as advocating on behalf of adolescents.

Advocacy efforts are supported through local, state and national public and private efforts to develop comprehensive, acute, chronic and preventive health services for youth. The Society publishes and disseminates scholarly information related to adolescent health through its peer-reviewed monthly Journal of Adolescent Health. For more information, log on to http://www.adolescenthealth.org.

Contact:
Vaughn I. Rickert, PsyD
Society for Adolescent Medicine,
(212)304-5766

Society for Adolescent Medicine
http://www.adolescenthealth.org

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