• Diphtheria
  • Scheduling Vaccines
  • Pertussis
  • Scheduling Vaccines
  • Tetanus
  • Scheduling Vaccines

Is there a recommendation about how many doses of DTaP a child can receive by a certain age? Does this include half doses?

ACIP and AAP both recommend that children receive no more than 6 doses of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (e.g., DT, DTaP, DTP) before the seventh birthday because of concern about adverse reactions, primarily local reactions. Half doses of DTaP are also not recommended under any circumstances, and should not be counted as part of the vaccination series. Only documented doses (i.e., those recorded in an electronic or written record) count toward the maximum of 6 doses.

Last reviewed: March 31, 2022

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