Tdap inoculations offered May 24 at the Health Department

The Lincoln County Public Health Department will be offering adult Tdap shots from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at the Public Health Department office in Libby. 

Tdap is a shot that provides protection from tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). The office is located at 418 Main Ave. The cost of the shot will be $35 and no insurance will be billed for this clinic. 

The CDC recommends that all adults less than 64 years of age get a Tdap; adults 65 and older should also be immunized if they expect to have contact with infants or young children. 

Adults are the most common source of pertussis in infants, who are at the greatest risk of serious complications. 

More than half of babies less than one year of age, who contact pertussis, will require hospitalization. Adults with pertussis can cough for weeks and even months. 

Coughing episodes can leave adults gasping for breath and unable to sleep and can cause cracked ribs and hospitalizations. 

For those who have had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years, a waiting period before getting the Tdap is not required.  

For more information call the Lincoln County Public Health Department at 293-4121.