Promoting adult pertussis vaccination in the workplace

Abstract

Vaccines are an important disease prevention strategy among individuals of all age groups. Despite the success of vaccinations in preventing communicable diseases, adults, in particular, often have sub-optimal vaccination rates. Consequently, some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as pertussis, are still on the rise in the United States despite the availability of the Tdap vaccine. As most adults can be found in the workplace, occupational and environmental health nurses are in a unique position to encourage employers to promote adequate Tdap vaccination among their employees. As specific resources regarding Tdap vaccination are lacking, the Pertussis Prevention Toolkit was developed to help occupational health nurses promote Tdap vaccination in the workplace.