Immunizations For All Ages

Immunizations for Adolescents

Yes, little ones need immunizations, and if you were never vaccinated as a child you are at risk for disease. And since immunity begins to fade over time, you may need a booster shot for some vaccines.

The health department conducts routine immunizations for adolescents depending on the individual's need.  Immunizations at the department may include some or all of the following:

Tetanus diphtheria / Tetanus diphtheria and pertussis (Td/Tdap)

Diptheria is a bacterial infection that can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure or death. Pertussis (whooping cough) is highly contagious and immunity wanes by adolescence. Tetanus (lockjaw) is an acute and often fatal disease, with symptoms usually showing 5-10 days after the infection.

Recommended vaccine schedule for all adolescents is once every ten years. In the event of an injury the vaccine may be administered at five-year intervals.

Hepatitis B (Hep B):

Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus can affect people of all ages, and some people are never able to rid themselves of the virus which is  found in the blood and body fluids of infected people. Adolescents most often spread it through sexual contact or by sharing needles with an infected person.  HBV-infected persons can spread it at home, and moms can pass the virus to an infant during birth.

Adolescents considered at risk are advised to take a series of three injections:

• An initial dose
• Second dose 2 months following initial dose
• Third dose six months after the initial dose

Hepatitis A (Hep A):

Hepatitis A , is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by a virus, most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water.The incubation period  is between two and six weeks and the average incubation period is 28 days. Every year, approximately 10 million people worldwide are infected with the virus.

Adolescents considered at risk are advised to take a  series of two injections:

• An initial dose
• One dose six months after the initial dose

Human Papillomavirus (HPV):

A human papillomavirus (HPV) infects the skin and mucous membranes. Approximately 130 HPV types have been identified. Some cause warts (verrucae) or cancer, while others have no symptoms.

Adolescent females considered at risk are advised to take  a series of three injections:

• An initial dose
• Second dose 2 months following initial dose
• Third dose six months after the initial dose

(Vaccines not approved for males at this time)

Influenza (Flu):

Help prevent flu spreading: get your flu shot every fall!  Influenza is a contagious respiratory viral illness with mild to severe symptoms, and sometimes death.   On average 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu every year in the U. S. Older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions are at high risk for serious flu complications.

Meningococcal:

Meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream or meninges (a thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord). Anyone can get meningococcal disease, but it is more common in infants and children. For some adolescents, such as first-year college students living in dormitories, there is an increased risk of this disease. Every year in the U.S. approximately 2,500 people are infected and 300 die from the disease. If you live in a household with a person known to have had this disease, have a compromised immune system or travel to parts of the world where meningococcal meningitis is prevalent, you are at greater risk.