Whooping Cough Shot Is OKd

The first booster shot to protect adolescents against whooping cough won government approval Tuesday, offering a new tool to battle the return of a dangerous illness that leaves sufferers gasping for air.

Whooping cough was once thought to be history thanks to effective vaccination of babies and toddlers, but it turns out that protection from those early shots wears off.

Outbreaks among preteens, teenagers and adults have increased dramatically. The cough is so strong it can break a rib. It can cause weeks of misery, sometimes living up to its nickname of the 100-day cough. Though older patients usually recover, they can spread the illness to not-yet-vaccinated infants -- and whooping cough can kill babies.

Specialists say GlaxoSmithKline’s Boostrix is a first step toward ending that cycle. The Food and Drug Administration approved its use as a one-time booster dose of vaccine for people ages 10 to 18.

It won’t require an extra shot. Children already are supposed to get a booster shot against two other diseases -- tetanus and diphtheria -- sometime during those years. Boostrix merely adds protection against pertussis, whooping cough’s formal name, to that existing shot.