Vaccines are not just for babies and young children. As children get older, the protection provided by some early childhood vaccines can wear off. Children also generally develop risks for more diseases as they approach their teen years. For these reasons, older children – including teens - need to receive recommended vaccinations.

This is especially true for teens heading off to college who may be living in the dormitories. Close proximity to new people can open the door to serious, but preventable diseases. What follows are some of the key vaccines you’ll want to make sure your teens have before you send them back to school or off to college.

Meningococcal vaccine - Meningococcal meningitis is rare, but when it strikes it can do so quickly. Within hours of the first symptoms the disease can cause organ failure, brain damage, amputation of limbs and death. Each year about 2,500 Americans are stricken with meningococcal meningitis, and 10 – 15 percent of them die. Up to 20 percent of the survivors suffer long-term disabilities. All 11-12 year-olds, teens about to enter high school, and college bound older teens planning to live in the dormitories should get vaccinated.

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) – Measles potentially causes pneumonia, brain damage, seizures and in some cases death. Mumps is a disease of the lymph nodes that can cause meningitis, deafness and death. Rubella (German measles) is of particular concern during pregnancy as it can result in severe birth defects, heart defects, mental retardation and deafness. Every child should have 2 doses of this vaccine.

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) – Tetanus enters the body through cuts, scratches or wounds and can cause painful tightening of muscles. Diphtheria and Pertussis are spread from person to person. Pertussis (Whooping Cough) causes severe coughing spells, vomiting and disturbed sleep. The greatest danger with Pertussis is passing it on to children too young to be vaccinated. Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat. The booster dose of Tdap should take place when the child is 11-12 years old. Some older teens may have already had a Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) booster, but should get the extra protection of a Tdap shot.

Varicella (Var) – Varicella, otherwise known as chicken pox, is often thought of as a relatively harmless childhood rite of passage. But adolescents are 3 times as likely to die from the disease as younger children. In addition to the rash, varicella can lead to other skin infections, swelling of the brain, pneumonia and meningitis. The vaccine is given in a two-dose series. If your children have had only one dose they need another now.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – HPV is important mainly because it can cause cervical cancer in women. HPV is spread through sexual contact and therefore the vaccine should be administered before a child becomes sexually active. All adolescent girls should get the series of 3 HPV shots, preferably around 11 – 12 years of age. But older teens and women up to the age of 26 who have missed the series should also get vaccinated. In fact, new recommendations say health care providers should consider giving the vaccine to males 9 – 26 years of age to prevent genital warts.

Influenza – The flu is no fun, even for healthy teens. If your teen has a chronic health condition, like asthma or diabetes, the disease can develop into something very serious. The circulating strains of the flu change every year so the protection provided by vaccine one year won’t be the same the next. The flu is highly contagious, especially in a crowded school or college environment. The best protection is to get the flu vaccine every fall. That’s good advice for parents as well.

Before your teens head back to school or off to college, check with your health care provider to see they are up-to-date on all of the following vaccines:

• Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis vaccine (Tdap)
• Meningococcal vaccine*
• HPV vaccine series
• Hepatitis B vaccine series
• Polio vaccine series
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine series
• Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine series
• Influenza vaccine (annually)
• Pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPV) vaccine+
• Hepatitis A vaccine series

* Recommended for previously unvaccinated college freshmen living in dormitories.

+ Recommended for children and teens with a high-risk health condition

For more information on vaccines visit the Central District Health Department website at www.cdhd.idaho.gov.