1.   Although Harrison of the FDA acknowledged that the pertussis vaccine was not risk-free, she said it was important to consider the risk of not vaccinating.

2.   Also on the horizon is Chiron Corp. which submitted an application to the FDA for its own acellular pertussis vaccine in late September.

3.   A British research team did a study and concluded that the pertussis vaccine did pose some risk of nerve damage.

4.   Certiva is a combination diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine which contains a new safer vaccine component for pertussis, or whooping cough.

5.   New pertussis combination vaccines are currently under consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6.   North American Vaccine Inc. and Chiron Corp. are also developing acellular pertussis vaccines, though they have yet to win FDA approval.

7.   The effectiveness of the old and new pertussis vaccines is comparable, researchers said.

8.   The Food and Drug Administration does have an estimate for the number of children injured by the whole-cell pertussis vaccine.

9.   The new acellular pertussis vaccines could become an important part of those vaccinations, Nennig said in an interview.

10.   The side effects led several countries in Europe and elsewhere to pull the old pertussis vaccine off the market, while parents elsewhere refused vaccinations for their children.