Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccines
Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis) combination vaccines help protect you against the following diseases:
Diphtheria - commonly causes a thick membrane to grow in the throat restricting breathing and can damage the body’s tissues, such as the heart and nerves.
Tetanus - causes stiffness in the muscles of the body, affecting the jaw and causes severe muscle spasms which can affect breathing.
Whooping cough (pertussis) - causes episodes of severe coughing, causing difficulty with breathing and oxygen supply to the brain.
Combination diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccines available
There are four different combinations currently available. Below is a list of diseases you are protected against for each of the combinations available:
pregnant women in each pregnancy from 20 weeks gestation, with the optimal time between 20 and 32 weeks gestation - Adacel or Boostrix vaccine.
The combination diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccines are also recommended, but may not be free, for all:
parents after the birth of the newborn if not recently immunised with whooping cough vaccine (Boostrix or Adacel) excluding new mothers who received this vaccine during their pregnancy
How the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccine is given
The combination vaccine is given as an injection into the thigh if under 12 months of age, or the top of the arm from 12 months of age.
Possible side effects of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccine
Like any medications, the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccines can have some minor and short lasting side effects.
Common side effects may include:
pain, redness and swelling at the injection site
mild fever of 37 to 38 degrees Celsius
headache
feeling unwell
joint pain
babies receiving the vaccine may become grizzly and unsettled
Booster doses of a diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough combination vaccine can result in extensive limb swelling which involves the area around the injection site becoming red and/or swollen and extending to the shoulder and/or elbow. This resolves completely within a few days and generally requires no treatment.
Although very rare, other side effects may include:
a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine
seizure in young children due to high fever
babies may experience a limp and unresponsive episode (hypotonic-hypo responsive episode) which can occur one to 48 hours after vaccination.
Current COVID-19 contact tracing alerts and cluster locations. Find the latest COVID-19 hotspots and what SA residents and interstate visitors should do.
Health information about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for South Australians. Find COVID-19 testing clinics and read the latest health updates and advice on COVID-19.
My Home Hospital is a public service funded through Wellbeing SA, that delivers hospital-level care to patients in the comfort and privacy of their own home.
Use of the information and data contained within this site or these pages is at your sole risk.
If you rely on the information on this site you are responsible for ensuring by independent verification its accuracy, currency or completeness.
This site includes links to other websites operated by community, business and government.
These linked websites will have their own terms and conditions of use and you should familiarise yourself with these.
All linked websites are linked 'as is' and the Government of South Australia:
does not sponsor, endorse or necessarily approve of any material on websites linked from or to this Site;
does not make any warranties or representations regarding the quality, accuracy, merchantability or fitness for purpose of any material on websites linked from or to this Site;
does not make any warranties or representations that material on other websites to which this site is linked does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any person anywhere in the world; and
does not authorise the infringement of any intellectual property rights contained in material in other websites by linking this site to those other websites.
If you use automatic language translation services in connection with this site you do so at your own risk.
The information and data on this site is subject to change without notice. The Government of South Australia may revise this disclaimer at any time by updating this posting.
The Government of South Australia, its agents, instrumentalities, officers and employees:
make no representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information and data contained on this site
make no representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy or usefulness of any translation of the information on this site or any linked website into another language
make no representations as to the availability of the site and the availability of websites linked from or to the site
accept no liability however arising for any loss resulting from the use of the site and any information and data or reliance placed on it (including translated information and data)
make no representations, either expressed or implied, as to the suitability of the said information and data for any particular purpose
accepts no liability for any interference with or damage to a user's computer, software or data occurring in connection with or relating to this Site or its use or any website linked to this site
do not represent or warrant that applications or payments initiated through this site will in fact be received or made to the intended recipient. Users are advised to confirm the application or payment by other means.