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.
More Information
Current Features
Need info on a
different topic? See
