Why Take the DTP Vaccination?
DTP is an abbreviation commonly used for diptheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccinations. They have combined these three for decades to make it easier to administer to babies and children. However the DTP vaccination is no longer used in the USA. It is now known as the DTaP. It’s just a safer version of the DTP.
Diptheria, tetanus and pertussis are all diseases that are caused by bacteria. Tetanus bacteria may enter your body through wounds or open sores and diptheria and pertussis is spread through human contact, from one person to the next.
Without the vaccine, diptheria could cause a thick covering in the back of your throat and lead to other problems like paralysis, breathing troubles, heart failure and in some cases even death.
If you are not vaccinated and you contract tetanus, you could be left with painful, tight muscles all over your body and it can lead to what we commonly call lock-jaw, which makes you not be able to open your mouth to eat or swallow.
Pertussis, also known as the whooping cough, can make you cough so hard that babies cannot eat or drink and they even have a hard time breathing. If untreated, whooping cough can lead to more serious diseases like pneumonia or brain damage. It can leave you with seizures and even cause you to die.
With the DTaP vaccination in your body, you can fight off these diseases and most likely will never even know you have been exposed to such bacteria’s. If immunizations were stopped being given, many children would become ill from these diseases.
Please check your child’s immunization schedule to make sure they have received all 5 recommended doses of the DTaP vaccination. If you are not sure of what immunizations your child should be receiving and when they should be administered, visit http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/medical/immunization_chart.html for a great chart of the recommended immunization schedule.
Filed under: Child Health
