When our kids are babies it is easy to remember to schedule well-child appointments and keep their vaccines up to date, but once they reach elementary school age many parents stop making regular physicians appointments for their children, and vaccines are missed. Last year my 14 year old daughter enrolled in school for the first time. A few weeks into the fall term the nurse called and informed me that she wasn’t up to date on her vaccines; she was missing the Tdap booster shot for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. She hadn’t had a physical in a couple years, and I had no idea she was missing a vaccine. In fact the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates less than half of pre-teens and teens receive the vaccines specifically recommended for their age group. The CDC wants to improve awareness among parents about the vaccines that are recommended for their children entering their pre-teen or teen years.
There are three vaccines recommended specifically for kids at ages 11 or 12 to protect them from these diseases:
- Meningococcal vaccine, which protects against meningitis and its complications
- Tdap vaccine, which is a booster against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis
- HPV vaccine, which protects girls and women against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer
In addition, the CDC recommends that pre-teens should get the flu vaccine every year. Now, depending on the state you are in, these vaccines are just recommended, not required, so each family needs to make their own decisions. We have chosen to get some of the recommended vaccines, but not all. The important thing is to make a decision, not just overlook it like I originally did with my daughter. After I realized we had missed a vaccine I read up on the different vaccines and made long over-due physical appointments for all my children. The website Why Do Pre-teens and Adolescents Need Immunizations? has information about each of the vaccines recommended for pre-teens and is a great place to learn more. So remember to schedule annual physical exams for your pre-teens and teens, and stay up-to-date on the CDC health recommendations.
Disclosure: I am writing this post as part of a CDC blogger outreach program. I may receive a small thank you gift from the CDC for my participation in raising awareness about pre-teen immunizations.
