728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Health › Teens, Vaccines and Screenings

Teens, Vaccines and Screenings

Keeping up on Health Guidelines

By Kelly Burgess

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

According to the 2007 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all adolescents should receive the following vaccinations:

  • Tdap vaccine to prevent the disease pertussis, or whooping cough
  • Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) to protect against meningococcal disease, which is a very serious infection of the lining around the brain and spinal cord
  • HPV vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the major cause of cervical cancer in women
  • Varicella vaccine to prevent chickenpox (varicella), including a booster for children who were vaccinated against chickenpox as babies
Catching Up

In addition to those new guidelines, the CDC recommends that parents check with their teen's doctor to be sure he or she has been vaccinated against the diseases listed below. If not, the teen needs to catch up on vaccines. Because of different requirements in different states, children may not always have the full protection available to them.

  • Hepatitis B: Can cause lifelong infection, liver damage, liver failure, cancer and death
  • Measles, Mumps, and Rubella: These once-common diseases of childhood have serious side effects, including deafness, sterility, blindness and death.
  • Polio: Can result in paralysis and death. Polio is very close to being eradicated, but because of suspicions and superstitions toward vaccines in some pockets of the world, it still exists. Because it still exists and we have a global citizenry, all children should be vaccinated to prevent a comeback.

Pages:  1  2  3  4  


Want to see more?