Pertussis Vaccine

About Pertussis Vaccine

The pertussis or whooping cough vaccine was developed in the 1930s and widely adopted in the 1940s. Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering at the Michigan Department of Health conducted pioneering research. The whole cell pertussis vaccine was highly effective but caused side effects including fever and, rarely, febrile seizures. Concerns about side effects led to the development of acellular pertussis vaccines in the 1980s. Japan briefly suspended whole cell vaccination in 1975 after two infant deaths following vaccination and introduced an acellular vaccine in 1981. The acellular vaccine has fewer side effects but may be less effective and provide shorter lasting immunity. Pertussis cases have increased in recent decades, partly due to waning immunity from the acellular vaccine. Whooping cough outbreaks in California in 2010 and 2014 prompted health authorities to review booster and maternal vaccination policies.