4 reasons tetanus-diphtheria booster shot should be given every 30 years

Imagine a world where tetanus and diphtheria (Td) booster vaccines are administered every 30 years instead of every 10. That’s what a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests could be possible. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will need to review the evidence and make a ruling before the vaccine booster schedule can be changed, but lead study author Mark K. Slifka, PhD, a professor from the Oregon Health & Science University, is optimistic. “I am hoping that they [ACIP] will review it later this year and hopefully come to the same conclusion that we did: that immunity is much more long-lived then we realized and that we can shift from a 10-year to a 30-year vaccination schedule without a loss in protective immunity,” Dr. Slifka told Pharmacy Times. Dr. Slifka and his fellow researchers examined the levels of immunity in nearly 550 adults and discovered that antibody titers against tetanus...