Jeffrey Hamilton/Getty Images
When was the date of your child’s last tetanus shot? Did you ever get the measles vaccine? What age is too old for the HPV vaccine? It’s hard to know the answers to these questions off the top of your head; but now they can be at your fingertips, with our printable vaccine trackers. There’s one for kids from birth to 18 years and one for adults. The recommendations are based on the latest schedules released in January 2010 by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of immunization experts selected by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines are intended for adults and children who are healthy overall. If you or your child has any chronic conditions or other health concerns, get your doctor’s suggestions for immunizations.
Print these trackers—one for kids and one for adults—and keep them with your other medical records. Jot down the date you or your child received each recommended vaccine, and use the “notes” section to list any reactions you might have had to a vaccine.
Here is a glossary of abbreviations of vaccine names: DTaP or Td or Tdap: Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis or Tetanus and diphtheria or Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines
HepA: Hepatitis A vaccine
Hep B: Hepatitis B vaccine
Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine
HPV: Human papillomavirus vaccine
IPV: Inactivated poliovirus vaccine
MCV: Meningococcal vaccine
MMR: Measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) vaccine
PCV or PPSV: Pneumococcal vaccine
RV: Rotavirus vaccine
Varicella: Chicken pox vaccine
Zoster: Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine
