ATLANTA (AP) — A federal advisory panel is recommending all Americans age 65 and older get vaccinated against whooping cough.
Health officials believe whooping cough is underreported in older adults. But a goal of the Feb. 22 recommendation is to prevent older adults from spreading the disease to infants, who are most vulnerable.
The shot is already recommended for younger adults and a whooping cough vaccine is included in childhood shots.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial disease that in rare cases can be fatal. It leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath.
Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are usually adopted by the government, which sends the guidance out to doctors.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
