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Preventive health care is just as
important for adolescents as it is for infants and young children. While
most recommended vaccines are given at a very young age, some vaccines
are recommended for older children and adolescents. In addition to a
tetanus booster at age 11-12 years (and every 10 years after), some
adolescents may need to catch up on missed vaccines. Also, some
vaccines, such as influenza and hepatitis A, are recommended for certain
adolescents, and are newly recommended for younger adolescents and
college-bound teens. College-bound teens and their parents should be
aware of the risk of meningococcal disease and consider vaccination. For
a complete schedule of recommended vaccinations for adolescents, please
review the Immunization Schedules to the left.
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The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends a routine tetanus booster every 10 years for all
people 19 years of age and older. People 50 years of age and older
should receive the influenza vaccine every year. People 65 years of age
and older should be vaccinated for pneumococcal disease. Also, some
adults may need to catch up on missed or incomplete childhood
vaccinations. Various other vaccines are recommended for people in
certain age groups or for those who have particular risks. Adults
planning to travel to countries where certain diseases are prevalent may
need additional vaccinations. For information on recommended travelers'
vaccines,
click here. For more information about recommended adult
vaccinations, please review the Immunization Schedules to the left.
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Vaccines undergo years of testing before
they are approved for use, and they continue to be monitored after
approval. While no medication is 100% safe, serious side effects are
rare. When side effects do occur, they are generally mild and may
include fever and soreness at the vaccination site. The important thing
to remember is that the benefits of vaccination are much greater than
the risks of not vaccinating. Before vaccines were developed, thousands
of babies and children suffered from life-threatening diseases each
year; today, thanks to vaccines, millions of children are protected from
these diseases.
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Some people are concerned that giving
babies or small children several vaccines at once may overload their
immune system. No evidence supports this belief. In fact, studies have
shown that giving a child multiple vaccinations for different diseases
at the same time is safe and effective, with no increased risk of side
effects.1
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In the unlikely event that your child has
a serious reaction to a vaccine, you should immediately contact your
health care professional. After discussion with your health care
professional, you may also wish to contact the Vaccine Adverse Event
Reporting System (VAERS). VAERS is a nationwide surveillance program
for vaccine safety run by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). The
VAERS Web site provides a mechanism for people to report adverse
events following immunization and offers analysis and information
regarding these events.
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Babies are exposed to disease-causing
bacteria and viruses every day starting at birth; the immune system is
constantly being challenged. Vaccines, instead of weakening or stressing
the immune system, provide a safe way of boosting immunity by
prompting the body to produce antibodies (protection) against various
diseases. When immunity is acquired through a vaccine rather than by
catching the disease, the possibility of serious illness or death is
virtually eliminated. There is no evidence to suggest that multiple
injections during one office visit "overload" the immune system.
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While widespread vaccination programs
have reduced most vaccine-preventable diseases to very low levels in the
United States (US), some of these diseases are common in other parts of
the world. Travelers or visitors from other countries can carry these
diseases with them when they enter the US. If people were not
vaccinated, epidemics would likely occur and many people would become
seriously ill or die. Also, these diseases are extremely uncommon in the
US because children are still vaccinated; the relatively few
cases of vaccine-preventable diseases that do occur in the US would
quickly cause epidemics if people were not protected.
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No. Vaccination is a much safer
way of acquiring immunity to a disease. While catching a disease will
generally give you immunity in the future, you run the risk of becoming
severely ill or even dying. Vaccinations, on the other hand, provide
immunity without the person's having to experience the serious effects
of the diseases.
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Influenza (flu) is highly contagious, and
anyone can get the flu. It is spread by coughing and sneezing, and
influenza epidemics occur almost every winter in the US. Some people may
become very ill with the flu, especially people with chronic medical
conditions (which includes many individuals over 50 years of age) and
very young children. Each year approximately 36,000 people die and
200,000 people are hospitalized because of influenza.2 The
influenza vaccine can safely protect you from the flu.
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No. The viruses in the injectable
influenza vaccine have been killed, so you cannot catch the flu from the
vaccine. Soreness, swelling, fever, and aches are possible mild side
effects and should not last longer than 1-2 days.
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A lot of vaccine-related information is
available on the Internet. If you are reading information on someone's
private Web site, or the Web site of a small, unknown organization, look
for references and sources. If none are offered and the information is
provided by an unknown individual or organization, you cannot be sure it
is accurate. It is best to get your information from a well-respected
government or medical organization such as the CDC, World Health
Organization (WHO), or other credible source. For instance, the
information on this site has been compiled from the CDC and other
government and public health organizations. Be sure to follow up with
your health care professional about any questions or concerns you may
have about information on the Internet.
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Some reliable sources of accurate and
up-to-date vaccine information include
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14. How much do the shots cost?
The shots are free. They are distributed through
the VFC Program (Vaccines for Children).
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