Several social media and blog posts question if the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine is necessary. The post focuses on pertussis, also called whooping cough, a severe respiratory infection that can cause severe illness and death in infants. One post claims the decline in pertussis deaths is unrelated to the vaccine, while the other falsely claims that the DTaP vaccine contains the mercury-based additive thimerosal.
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The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) was formed in 2020 to coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 and increase Americans’ confidence in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health officials.
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