New Whooping Cough Vaccine Required For Oklahoma Students

State health officials encourage parents to check to make sure their children have a new vaccine required for school.

It's called the T-Dap booster and while it's required for children - it's recommended to adults as well. It's different than the older vaccine with a similar name called D-tap.

"It's a new vaccine that is a booster vaccine to the D-tap vaccine that everyone received when they were children," said Kathy Sebert with the Tulsa Immunization Coalition:

The new vaccine adds protection against pertussis - the severe cough known as whooping cough. After several cases last year - the state added the new requirement for children going into 7th and 8th grade this year.

"For this next upcoming school year, it's 7th and 8th grade and it continues to roll forward one grade each year," said Pam Butler with Tulsa Public Schools.

There were cases of pertussis in Tulsa last year.

"We had a couple of cases of students with pertussis but it didn't impact us as far as having large numbers of kids out with it," Butler said.

The new requirement is this:

• T-Dap vaccine for 7th / 8th graders in 2012.
• The school must get proof of vaccination.
• The vaccine is available through private physicians & health department, where it's usually less expensive.

The state requires the vaccine for children, but the health department also recommends it for adults - because many children contract whooping cough from adults.

"The problem is that not only are you miserable, but you could cough and transmit that to an infant," Sebert said.

The new vaccine provides protection against pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria for at least ten years - so children won't need a booster before they leave high school.

The vaccine is covered under insurance plans and the state covers the cost for children without insurance.