Cocooning (immunization)

Cocooning, also known as the Cocoon Strategy, is a vaccination strategy to protect infants and other vulnerable individuals from infectious diseases by vaccinating those in close contact with them. If the people most likely to transmit an infection are immune, their immunity creates a "cocoon" of protection around the newborn (or other vulnerable person).

This article is about the vaccination strategy. For choosing to stay at home, see cocooning (behaviour).

Cocooning is especially commonly used for pertussis. It aims to protect newborn infants from becoming infected with pertussis by administering DTaP/Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) booster vaccine to parents, family members and any individuals who would come into regular contact with the newborn infant. By vaccinating these individuals with a pertussis booster, a pool of persons is established around the newborn who are themselves protected from getting pertussis and passing it on to the infant, thereby creating a "cocoon" of protection around the newborn. Young infants have the highest rate of pertussis; in 87-100% of all deaths caused by pertussis, the victim is an infant of less than 6 months of age, too young to have finished acquiring vaccine-induced immunity. Adolescents and young adults whose immunity has just worn off are often infected, but very unlikely to die. They can, however, infect others. 35% to 68% of infants infected with pertussis are infected by a close contact, most commonly the mother. Cocooning prevents about 20% of infant pertussis cases; vaccination during pregnancy prevents more (33%).

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