DTaP

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DTaP is an acronym for the combined diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine. The "a" denotes the vaccine's acellular pertussis components, distinguishing it from whole-cell, inactivated DTP (aka DTwP) vaccine. The acellular vaccine uses antigenic fragments of the pertussis pathogen to induce immunity.

The advantage of the acellular vaccine is that it causes substantially fewer side-effects (estimated at 90% fewer), which commonly include local pain and redness, and/or fever. Both DTP and DTaP appear to equally efficacious in generating immunity, but DTaP is universally accepted as safer. Most of the developed world has switched to DTaP, but developing countries continue to use DTP, which is substantially cheaper.

[edit] See also

• TDaP

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