Vaccinations and Immunizations

Certain vaccinations are required by specific grades levels or age groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a recommended immunization schedule to follow.

According to the CDC, preschool and elementary school aged children, between the ages of 3 and 10, need additional doses of some of the vaccines they received in their infant and toddler years. Those include:

• Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis) (DTaP) (5th dose)
  Polio (IPV) (4th dose)
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2nd dose)
• Chickenpox (varicella) (2nd dose)

As protection from childhood vaccines wear off, preteens and adolescents also need additional vaccines to extend that protection. For kids and teens, ages 11 through 18, the CDC recommends:

• Meningococcal conjugate (two doses; the first around ages 11-12 and a second at age 16)
• HPV (two doses) (at ages 11-12 and a second dose 6-12 months later)
• Tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis) (Tdap) (one dose around ages 11-12)

As your child heads to college, make sure all vaccinations are up to date and that he or she has a copy of all immunization records. If you have questions about what immunizations your child needs before heading back to school, talk to his or her pediatrician.