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Listen to “VEC Vaccine Notes,” a video and podcast series presented by the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Each episode offers vaccine information in a convenient format, so families have the answers they need to make informed decisions, including details and context that addresses what they may have heard in the news or in conversation with others.
This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2026 The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis and the vaccines that protect against them. She addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of these diseases and the vaccines.
Find out:
- The historical nicknames for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis
- What toxins and toxoids are and why they are relevant to these bacteria
- The nature and number of coughing episodes caused by pertussis
- Why cases of pertussis are usually undercounted
- The differences between DTaP, Tdap and Td
- The significance of the lowercase “a” in these vaccine names
- Side effects caused by these vaccines, including descriptions of hypotonic-hyporesponsive syndrome and febrile seizures
To learn more about diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis and the vaccines that prevent these infections, please visit https://bit.ly/vec-dtp.
Questions? Submit the VEC Vaccine Notes form, https://bit.ly/contact-vec-vaccine-notes.
For other vaccines, diseases or general questions about vaccines, check out https://vaccine.chop.edu.
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