School is Starting—Make Sure Your Children are Fully Vaccinated
Children
of all ages are heading back to school, so now is a
good time to make sure that your kids are fully
vaccinated. Online tools and information from CDC
can help parents and doctors keep children up to
date with the vaccines they need.
Making
sure that children at every age receive all of their
vaccinations on time is one of the most important things
parents can do to ensure their children's long-term
health ― as well as the health of their friends and
classmates. Not only do vaccines protect children
against common seasonal diseases like seasonal
influenza, they also help prevent diseases that are much
rarer. However, vaccine-preventable diseases are still
out there, so, if children don't stay up to date with
vaccinations, the U.S. could see new epidemics of
diseases. More children would get sick, and more would
die.
Children 0-6 years
During the early years of life, children are recommended to get a number of vaccines to protect them from diseases that can be serious, even life-threatening. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their own children increase the risk of infection for their children, other children around them, neighbors, and the community. Parents can find out what vaccines their children need and when the doses should be given by reviewing the nationally recommended Childhood Immunization schedule, available on the CDC website.
Children and Teens 7-18 years
As children get a little older, it's easy to forget that they still need vaccines. However, children 6 months through 18 years of age are recommended for a yearly flu vaccination, so young children, pre-teens, and teens should be getting at least one vaccination every year. As children move into adolescence, they are at greater risk of catching diseases, like meningitis and HPV. Also, immunity from some vaccines can decrease over time, so people may need to get another dose of a vaccine during their pre-teen years. For example, adolescents 11-12 years of age are recommended to get a single dose booster of the Tdap vaccine which is recommended for adolescents and adults. This is a version of the DTaP which is a 5-dose series given to children before 6 years of age. The CDC provides a full vaccine schedule for people ages 7 through 18 years for parents to remain up to date on their children's vaccines.
It's Not Too Late!
If
a child falls behind schedule on vaccinations, it can
sometimes be difficult to figure out the best way to
catch up. To help, the CDC and its colleagues at Georgia
Tech have developed the Catch-Up Immunization Scheduler,
a new online tool that shows parents and healthcare
providers the best options for getting children 6 years
of age and younger back on schedule.
This easy-to-use tool is accessible online to both parents and healthcare providers. Please note that the catch-up immunization scheduler can only be viewed on computers with Microsoft® Office Professional.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month
Immunization is one of modern medicine's most significant public health achievements. Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, eliminated wild poliovirus in the U.S., and significantly reduced the number of cases of measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis and other diseases that often caused serious illness or even death. But despite these efforts, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. still die from vaccine-preventable diseases every year.
National Immunization Awareness Month reminds us that
immunizations are important for people of all ages, from
infants to seniors. August is the perfect time to remind
family, friends, co-workers, and others to talk with
their doctors to make sure they're up-to-date on their
vaccinations.