On May 14, 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use an additional combined diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) (DAPTACEL™ Aventis Pasteur, [Toronto, Ontario]) for the first 4 doses of the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccination (DTP) series administered to infants and children aged 6 weeks–6 years (before seventh birthday).  DAPTACEL™ was the fifth acellular pertussis vaccine to be licensed for use among infants and young children in the United States.

DAPTACEL™ is approved for administration as a 4-dose series at ages 2, 4, 6, and 17–20 months. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Committee on Infectious Diseases, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend that children routinely receive a series of 5 doses of vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis before age 7 years. The first 4 doses should be administered at ages 2, 4, 6, and 15–18 months and the fifth dose at age 4–6 years. The customary age for the first dose is 2 months, but it may be given as early as age 6 weeks and up to the seventh birthday.

The interval between the third and the fourth dose should be at least 6 months. Data are insufficient to evaluate the use of DAPTACEL™ as a fifth dose among children aged 4–6 years who have received DAPTACEL™ for the previous 4 doses. DAPTACEL™ may be used to complete the vaccination series in infants who have received 1 or more doses of whole-cell pertussis DTP.