CDC: Children's vaccine should last at least through midyear

ATLANTA - The government says a national shortage of vaccine to protect children against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough will continue through at least midyear. <br> <br> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not give a projection for when the shortage might end. <br> <br> The vaccine, called DTaP, has been in short supply since 2000, when two manufacturers quit making it, leaving Aventis Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline as the only U-S suppliers. <br> <br> The shot is typically given to children in a series of five doses -- three during the child&#39;s first six months, a fourth at 15-18 months and a fifth at age four to six. <br> <br> During the shortage, the C-D-C says doctors can defer the fourth and, if necessary, fifth doses, waiting until supplies rebound to make up the missed shots. The first three doses are more critical because the diseases can strike harder against infants. <br> <br> Americans can get booster shots for tetanus and diphtheria every ten years, and Aventis and GlaxoSmithKline are expected to develop a booster for whooping cough in the next two years.