Adolescent Vaccination Guide Hot Springs National Park AR

As a parent, you probably want to protect your child from illness and injury whenever possible. One way to do that is to make sure they are properly vaccinated. You may have thought the days of vaccines ended when your child started kindergarten, but as medicine evolves, more and more vaccines are available for kids between the ages of 11 and 18. Here, a guide to those vaccines and the schedule for receiving them, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With the approval new shots that prevent HPV (a large family of more than 100 viruses, some of which can lead to cervical cancer), meningitis, and tetanus, parents have new opportunities to help their children avoid potentially dangerous infections.

Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine
Brand name:Adacel, BoostrixAlso known as:Tdap

In 2005, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend the routine use of Tdap vaccines in adolescents aged 11 to 18. It replaced the previous Td (tetanus and diphtheria) booster, which 11- or 12-year-olds would normally have received. The three bacteria-related diseases that Tdap protects against (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) can cause lockjaw, breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, coughing spells, vomiting, and, in severe cases, death.

Meningitis
Meningococcal conjugate vaccine
Brand name:Menactra
Also known as:MCV4..

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