Tween Vaccines Are Necessary

Tween vaccines are necessary to prevent serious diseases. The sad truth is that less than half of pre-teens and teens receive the vaccines that they need. I assume that part of the problem is that parents are aware of vaccines needed for their infants and toddlers because they take them to their doctor for regular check-ups.

According to the CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention), there are three vaccines needed for every child who is 11 or 12 years old. One is needed for girls of that age group. These is the list of the vaccinations:

• Meningococcal vaccine, which protects against meningitis and its complications
• Tdap vaccine, which is a booster against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis
• Influenza (Flu) vaccine (annually for all children 6 months or older) to protect against three strains of seasonal Influenza
• The vaccine for girls is the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects girls against the types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancer.

As an aside, there has been an outbreak of whooping cough or pertussis, which can be fatal to infants. All tweens that are around infants should get a vaccine for Tdap. Teens and adults should get a booster vaccine.

Besides the need for vaccines, it is important to take in your tween for a check-up. The tween years are when you may have questions concerning your child’s health and development. It’s also time when medical tests and assessments can be done to prevent health issues later in life.

Visit the CDC Pre-teen Immunization Hub for a text-based version

If your health insurance doesn’t cover these vaccines or you don’t have health insurance, please check into the Vaccines For Children Program. Either way, though it is imperative to have your tween vaccinated.

I am writing this post as part of a CDC blogger outreach program. I may receive a small thank you gift from the CDC for my participation in raising awareness about pre-teen immunizations.