Lessons learned from successful implementation of tetanus and diphtheria vaccination programs

SUMMARYVaccines against tetanus and diphtheria are known as "legacy" vaccines because they were developed in the 1920s, long before the establishment of modern immunology and at a time when the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was still in its infancy. Despite lacking the technological advances of today, these medical interventions represent two of the most successful vaccines ever developed, as indicated by the incidence of disease falling to less than one case of tetanus per 10 million person-years and approximately one case of diphtheria per 1 billion person-years in the U.S. population. Here, we compare the success of the tetanus and diphtheria vaccination programs to that of other common childhood vaccines and review an evidence-based approach to adult booster vaccination schedules. These findings indicate that after completing the childhood vaccination series, decennial booster vaccinations may no longer be needed to maintain protective immunity in the general population. Moreover, updating the current vaccination program to remove adult decennial booster doses will not only harmonize the U.S. recommendations with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) but may also further improve the risk:benefit ratio for vaccination while providing up to $1 billion annually in healthcare savings.