Immunizations for Children and Adolescents

Ensuring that your child receives every appropriate immunization is vital to their health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) offers detailed schedules of recommended vaccinations, and your primary care physician can help you understand your child’s needs. General guidelines are as follows:

• Hepatitis B (HepB): 0 – 18 months (3 doses)
• Rotavirus (RV): 2 – 6 months (2 or 3 doses)
• Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP): 2 months – 6 years (5 doses)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap): 11 – 12 years (1 dose)
• Haemophilus influenza (Hib): 2 – 15 months (3 or 4 doses)
• Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13): 2 – 15 months (4 doses)
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV): 2 month – 6 years (4 doses)
• Influenza: Annually beginning at 6 months
• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR): 12 months – 6 years (2 doses)
• Varicella (VAR): 12 months – 6 years (2 doses)
• Hepatitis A (HepA): 12 months – 23 months (2 doses)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) for males and females: 11 – 12 years (3 doses)
• Meningococcal: 11 – 12 years, booster at 16

Recommendations may vary depending on your child’s overall health. Talk to your primary care physician for personalized recommendations. Immunizations are one of the safest and most effective methods of protecting children from potentially life-threatening illnesses. Missed immunizations can be administered later in childhood or adolescence, but it is important for parents to communicate with their child’s primary care physician and comply with all recommendations in a timely manner. Many insurance companies cover most immunizations, and financial assistance may be available for those who are in need. Contact your primary care physician immediately if you feel that your child’s immunizations are not current.

| Posted On : 2/16/2015 12:51:55 PM