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Immunization against tetanus and diphtheria is so effective that concern about vaccine-related adverse events associated with booster vaccinations has assumed greater importance. Currently, repeat immunization in the U.S. is recommended every 10 years for those aged >6 years, but longitudinal studies have suggested that antibody titers last far longer than this interval. In a cross-sectional study, researchers in Oregon analyzed tetanus and diphtheria toxin-specific antibody levels among 546 adults recruited from 2002 to 2008.
In 97% of the study population, both tetanus-specific and diphtheria-specific antibody concentrations were above the protective level of 0.01 IU/mL. A regression model estimated that, without further booster vaccinatio…