People who come into regular contact with infants and young children are encouraged to receive a vaccination for pertussis at a clinic offered Tuesday by Clatsop County Health and Human Services.

The walk-in clinic will be offered from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Health Department office at 820 Exchange St., Astoria. The vaccines are available to adults age 19 to 64, and the cost is $15.

The vaccine, known as Tdap, helps provide protection from three diseases: tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory ailment that is mostly harmless to healthy adults, but which can be fatal to infants ? in Oregon, four children have died from pertussis in the last several years. The disease causes severe coughing that can actually cause fractured ribs, and may also be accompanied by pneumonia.

The most common source of pertussis in children is adults around them: parents, grandparents, siblings, daycare workers, healthcare professionals and teachers, who can carry the disease without realizing it. For that reason, the Health Department wants to create a blanket of immunity among adults who have regular contact with infants and young children in order to help prevent the spread of the disease to the very young, the elderly and those with decreased immune system response.

Tetanus, which is caused by a bacteria found in soil or manure, enters the body through cuts, punctures or other wounds. It is commonly called lockjaw due to the severe muscle spasms in the jaw, neck and chest muscles that typically accompany the disease.

Diphtheria is an infection of the mouth, nose and throat that most often strikes children under 15 years of age. Ten percent of cases are fatal.

Those who have had a tetanus shot within the last two years are not eligible to receive the Tdap vaccination.

For more information contact Clatsop County Health and Human Services at (503) 325-8500.