Hot Topic: Vaccines For Your Preteen
As children approach their teen years, research shows many of them don't visit the doctor for preventive healthcare, only making an appointment when they're sick. But our preteens need check-ups too, and three very important vaccinations.
Childhood vaccinations can wear off over time, leaving teens susceptible to serious diseases such as meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and cervical cancer. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly encourage 11 to 12 year olds to get three preteen vaccinations, which are MCV4, which protects against meningitis and its complications; Tdap, which is a booster against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis or "whooping cough," and for girls, HPV vaccine which protects against the types of human papillomavirus that most commonly cause cervical cancer.
The CDC developed a web page specifically highlighting preteen vaccines, and you can visit it at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/preteen/. There are easy-to-read educational materials available in English and Spanish.
More information about childhood, adolescent and adult immunizations is also available by visiting our immunization page.
Facts about Pertussis, Meningitis and HPV/Cervical Cancer from the CDC:
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is one of the most common respiratory diseases in American teens. It causes a prolonged cough that can last weeks or months and can result in pneumonia or hospitalization. Reported pertussis cases in the United States are on the rise - there were more than 25,000 cases in 2005.
Meningococcal infections can be very serious, and can lead to meningitis and even death. These infections are not very common - an estimated 1,400 to 2,800 cases occur in the United States annually. However, about 10 percent of teens who get meningitis die from it, and another 15 percent have long-term disability.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with about 20 million people currently infected. Women have an 80 percent chance of getting HPV by the time they are 50. Every year in the U.S., about 6.2 million people get a new HPV infection. HPV is most common in young people who are in their late teens and early twenties. In 2007, about 11,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 3,600 women will die from the disease.
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