Tdap Vaccination

[HikerMark 5]

Has anybody had this vaccination at their local GP on the NHS. It is the combined Tetanus, diptheria and pertussis(whooping cough) vaccination now required for everybody aged 10 to 64. Before they only needed Td.

My practice nurse says she can't get it and has referred me to be an outfit called The Master Clinic to see if they can do it. It certainly doesn't appear to be a regular vaccination for adults in the UK but is now recommended for all adults in the US.

Unless others have managed to get it done on the NHS I'll bring proof of my up to date Td to the medical and if they still require the Tdap get them to do it for the £25 they quote on their price list. My practice nurse is already charging me for the MMR.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

I've only just noticed that I am not vaccinated against Pertusis.

I got 2 vaccinations on the NHS before I met a trip to Hong Kong. They were revaxis, which is Diphtheria, tetanus and polio. And another which was Hep A and Typhoid combined. When I went to the medical they only said that I needed the MMR and the HPV vaccine. Both of which I had already arranged to have on the NHS.

I was approved and have the visa in hand. AND my visa was a CR-1 it wasn't approved on the basis that I have the vaccine by AOS, cos I'm not doing AOS. Don't know if that helps, but that's what happened to me.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Yep, Bruce didn't get the Pertussis done either, but since he too got the CR1 and has been living in the States for 9 months, I think it could be at the discretion of the doctor. Or perhaps they don't realise that it's missing when they sign off on the vaccinations sheet? Weird.

[Glyn and Kathy 288]

Glyn also didn't get the pertussis. They gave him the other with the polio in it. No problems so far. They gave us the paper at Knightbridge that said all his jabs are up to date.

[Army_Wife 2]

Tdap stands for Tetanus, Diptheria and Polio .... not pertussis

This is the normal combined vaccine which is available from your GP as a standard UK requirement ..... no fee.

A few years ago it was just Tetanus and Diptheria as a separate jab and the Polio was given on a sugar cube. Now it's all thrown in together.

MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) is also a standard vaccine and I'm surprised anyone is being charged for it as the NHS should cover this too.

The Pertussis (whooping cough) is for kids and is not a requirement for adults.

Edited May 15, 2008 by KipandSarahJayne

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Tdap stands for Tetanus, Diptheria and Polio .... not pertussis

This is the normal combined vaccine which is available from your GP as a standard UK requirement ..... no fee.

A few years ago it was just Tetanus and Diptheria as a separate jab and the Polio was given on a sugar cube. Now it's all thrown in together.

No, it is definitely P for Pertussis. Polio is dealt with separately, and is not a requirement for adults to get the visa.

See here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/combo-...-Td-DT/tdap.htm

Edited to add: Bruce's did have polio thrown in, but I think this is UK-specific in the jab. The US is interested in pertussis on the Tdap, so why all of us are getting through without it is a bit odd.

Edited May 15, 2008 by elmcitymaven

[Army_Wife 2]

Tdap according to my GP is Tetanus, Diptheria and Polio (a combined vaccine) .... had my top up the other week with the MMR ... all free .... and gave me the print off on headed paper and a signature of all my vaccines from year dot.

Nurse also confirmed to me what it was too as I asked for the usual sugar lump thinking the polio was still separate ..... no pertussis in the vaccine mentioned.

The triple with the pertussis a few years back was found to possibly cause autism in kids and so maybe that's why it's difficult to find.

As the UK medical is done by UK doctors, maybe they only see Tdap and are thinking the same as my GP, therefore the UK people are getting through without the pertussis.

Pertussis for adults is just strange anyway, it's for kids.

[SMB x2 0]

Has anybody had this vaccination at their local GP on the NHS. It is the combined Tetanus, diptheria and pertussis(whooping cough) vaccination now required for everybody aged 10 to 64. Before they only needed Td.

My practice nurse says she can't get it and has referred me to be an outfit called The Master Clinic to see if they can do it. It certainly doesn't appear to be a regular vaccination for adults in the UK but is now recommended for all adults in the US.

Unless others have managed to get it done on the NHS I'll bring proof of my up to date Td to the medical and if they still require the Tdap get them to do it for the £25 they quote on their price list. My practice nurse is already charging me for the MMR.

That's really peculiar, unless it differs from NHS Trust to NHS Trust.

I rang up my GP's office, said I needed jabs for emigrating, we quickly flicked through that list from the Embassy page and decided it was definitely just Tdap and MMR I needed, scheduled an appointment and that was that. Had them about a week later and wasn't charged a penny.

The nurse had a fridge full of MMR, MMR2 (the adult version) and Tdap, as well as other stuff.

Stu

Edited May 15, 2008 by SMB x2

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Yeah, it does sound like the UK and US interpretations of Tdap are different. OK peeps, let's not tell the Embassy!

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

I had to pay a prescription fee for my HPV (but that was wayyyyyy cheaper than having it done privatly, which I thought was going to be my fate). But I didn't even have to pay that for the MMR. It was completely free.

And yeah, no one tell the embassy that Knightsbridge are letting us slip through without Pertussis

[HikerMark 5]

Oops looks like I have opened a can of worms here.

To be fair, Knightsbridge must already know about it because they have Diptheria, tetanus and pertussis listed as one of the injections they can give at the medical. Of course this may be the DTP or DTaP which is given to kids not adults.

I'm also wondering if Tdap is like the varicella injection in that it is not readily available in the UK and so Knightsbridge have to pass everybody with just the Td.

Anyway I will get the MMR done by the GP and get a certified print out of all the jabs I have had and leave it to Knighsbridge to decide if I need anything extra.

The background to Tdap is that the US authorities approved the first vaccines in 2005 because they have been concerned about an increasing incidence of whooping cough amongst adults which in turn can infect children.

I just love this immigration application journey with all its twists and turns....... not.

[pandora 0]

not sure if this will help - but on Embassy Website it does state

Important notice: Fiancé(e) visa applicants and those applying for the K-ii or V visa will be required to meet the vaccination requirement at the time of their application for an adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States.

so ti maybe that the Pertussis is needed for that and if so can be done in the US

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

I'm afraid that doesn't solve the mystery because several of us have CR-1 visas, meaning no AOS.

Not sure what happens to a non-pertusiss vaccinated K-1 holder at the time of AOS, but I haven't heard on anyone needing to get it then.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

not sure if this will help - but on Embassy Website it does state

Important notice: Fiancé(e) visa applicants and those applying for the K-ii or V visa will be required to meet the vaccination requirement at the time of their application for an adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States.

so ti maybe that the Pertussis is needed for that and if so can be done in the US

You would think...but I haven't heard of anyone on the UK sub-forum being asked to get pertussis done when doing AOS, having already had the UK version of Tdap. And Poiteen and my husband both got CR1 visas -- they had to fulfill all the vaccination requirements before being allowed entry.

Here's what I think: the US Embassy has absolutely no clue that the US and UK Tdap jabs are not one and the same. Unlike the varicella exception for the UK, it is not set out on the website that pertussis is unavailable (if indeed it is, which I doubt) so UK applicants either don't need it or need to have it done in America.

It is interesting! Or am I just a nerd?

[pandora 0]

not sure if this will help - but on Embassy Website it does state

Important notice: Fiancé(e) visa applicants and those applying for the K-ii or V visa will be required to meet the vaccination requirement at the time of their application for an adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States.

so ti maybe that the Pertussis is needed for that and if so can be done in the US

You would think...but I haven't heard of anyone on the UK sub-forum being asked to get pertussis done when doing AOS, having already had the UK version of Tdap. And Poiteen and my husband both got CR1 visas -- they had to fulfill all the vaccination requirements before being allowed entry.

Here's what I think: the US Embassy has absolutely no clue that the US and UK Tdap jabs are not one and the same. Unlike the varicella exception for the UK, it is not set out on the website that pertussis is unavailable (if indeed it is, which I doubt) so UK applicants either don't need it or need to have it done in America.

It is interesting! Or am I just a nerd?

Yeah it is interesting - i saw my nurse today with the list of the vaccinations and shes gone away to investigate the abbreviations of td/tdap as she wasnt sure as the tetanus diphtheria and polio are normally called dtp or dtap here that one was above it on the vaccination list, she is gonna try and get back to me tomorrow, so if she finds out i will let you know

and my apologies for not realizing was a CR1 visa query too guess i spent too much time in the K1 forum - sorry guys