Recommended immunizations

The importance of continued immunizations at ages 11 through about 21 years (adolescence) is not always recognized. Adolescents need to continue their immunization series and receive booster shots for ongoing protection (immunity) against diseases. Many adolescents were born after the current recommendations for certain immunizations, such as for hepatitis B, were established. So they did not receive all their needed shots (injections) in early childhood.

The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend a specific immunization schedule for children and adolescents each year.⁴ This schedule outlines the immunizations and booster shots needed during adolescence as well as when catch-up immunizations should be given.

To print a list of what shots are needed, go to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interactive Web site at www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched.

Immunizations given during adolescence usually include:

Human papillomavirus (HPV), for girls (What is a PDF document?)

This shot, called Gardasil, protects against four types of HPV that together cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts.⁷ The shot also protects against some uncommon cancers, such as vaginal cancer.

Who should get it?

• Girls 11 to 12 years old need three doses, given over 6 months. (The shot can be given to girls who are 9 or 10 years old.)
• The CDC also recommends this shot for females 13 to 26 years old who did not get it when they were younger. But the American Cancer Society states that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against the shot for women 19 to 26 years old.⁸

If your daughter already has HPV infection, talk with her doctor about whether to get immunized. The shot has not been shown to help existing HPV infection, but it may protect her from other HPV infections.⁷

For help deciding if the HPV vaccine is right for your daughter, see:

Should my daughter get the HPV vaccine?

Inactivated influenza (flu) shot (What is a PDF document?) or nasal spray flu vaccine (FluMist)(What is a PDF document?)

This immunization helps protect against the flu. Flu viruses are always changing, so the flu vaccines are updated every year. Protection lasts up to a year for each flu vaccine type.

Who should get it?

Flu immunization is recommended once a year for:⁵

• All children 6 months through 18 years of age.
• Household contacts and caregivers of anyone who is at high risk for complications of the flu.
• Anyone who wants to reduce the chance of becoming ill with the flu or spreading it to others.

Healthy people ages 2 years through 49 years can usually get the nasal spray form of the vaccine, called FluMist. Pregnant women can get the flu shot but not FluMist.