According to health regulators from the United States, GlaxoSmithKline’s combination vaccine, branded as Boostrix, has been approved for use on seniors.

Boostrix is the first single-dose booster vaccine to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for immunizing people aged 65 and older against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

The United States Food and Drug Administration made the announcement on Friday of last week; however, the vaccine was originally approved to prevent the three diseases among children and adolescents aged between 10 year and 18 year old on May 3rd, 2005.

Although elderly patients typically recover from a bout of whooping cough after a few weeks, doctors are encouraging seniors to get the booster shot because it can help them to prevent the spread of the contagious disease to infants who have not yet been vaccinated.

While complications arising from whooping cough among seniors are rare, the contagious disease is deadly for infants who are highly vulnerable to the bacterial infection.

According to Karen Midthun, of the FDA’s center for biological evaluation, “Pertusis is a highly contagious disease, and outbreaks have occurred among the elderly in nursing homes and hospitals. With this approval, adults 65 and older now have the opportunity to receive a vaccine that prevents pertussis, as well as tetanus and diphtheria”.