As infant, my son had reaction to dpt, so was given only dt. now 28, he is told he can't have tetanus shot bcause it will contain pertussis. true?

Not true: there is an adult tetanus vaccine that does not contain pertussis. Maybe the person who told him that doesn't have it, but it's available. His local health department can provide it.

Maybe: Td may be going away completely and pertussis outbreaks have been increasing, so many Doctor's offices may only carry Tdap.

Possibly.: This depends on what his reaction to the DPT was.If it was a mild reaction,further DPT's may not have been given. Recommendations have changed,though,so if it was a mild reaction,a Tdap may be safe for him now.Also, the pertussis portion of the Tdap is different from the pertussis portion of the DPT given to him as an infant.He may want to consider getting an infectious disease specialist consult.

Needs evaluation: If he is 28, he would have had a reaction to the old whole cell pertussis vaccine that was in use until the early 90's. It had so many side effects we never gave it after age 6. The present acellular pertussis vaccine has few if any side effects and is given at almost any age. The older dT or T are often not carried by many clinics because the adult TdaP has some benefits & is given in their place