School Starts Soon—Is Your Child Fully Vaccinated? Published Aug. 24, 2011 15th Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii- -- Your state may require children entering school to be vaccinated against certain diseases, such as pertussis. If you're unsure of your state's school requirements, check with your child's doctor, your child's school, or your health department. Making sure that children of all ages receive all their vaccinations on time is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their children's long-term health ― as well as the health of friends, classmates, and others in the community. It's true that some vaccine-preventable diseases have become very rare thanks to vaccines. However, outbreaks still happen. For example, preliminary data showed more than 21,000 cases of "whooping cough" (pertussis) in this country in 2010. Twenty-six deaths were reported - 22 of these deaths in the U.S were in children younger than 1 year old. Additionally, in 2011, there have been a record number cases of measles reported. Measles comes into the United States from countries where the disease still circulates, including many European countries. Measles spreads easily and it can be serious, causing hospitalization and even death. Young children are at highest risk for serious complications from measles. Making sure children stay up-to-date with vaccinations is the best way to make sure the country does not see other outbreaks, with more unnecessary illnesses and deaths. Children Birth-6 years During the early years of life, children are recommended to get vaccines to protect them from 14 diseases that can be serious, even life-threatening. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their own children increase the risk of disease not only for their children, but also for other children and adults throughout the entire community. For example, vulnerable newborns too young to have received the maximum protection from the recommended doses of vaccines or people with weaker immune systems such as some people with cancer and transplant recipients are also at higher risk of disease. Kids in pre-school and elementary school need flu vaccines to help keep them healthy. In fact, all children 6 months and older need flu vaccines. Getting all of your children vaccinated - as well as other family members and caregivers - also can help protect infants younger than 6 months old. Ask your children's doctor or nurse about getting flu shots or the nasal spray to protect them against flu. Parents can find out what vaccines their children need and when the doses should be given by reviewing the nationally recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule. Children and Teens 7-18 years It's easy to forget that older children need vaccines, too. Of course, everyone older than 6 months of age is recommended to receive a yearly flu vaccination, and older children are no exception! It's important to know that flu can be serious, even for healthy young people. So older kids should be getting at least one vaccine every year. As children move into adolescence, they are at greater risk of catching diseases like meningitis and HPV. Vaccines to prevent these diseases are specifically recommended for children to receive at ages 11 and 12. If kids don't get these vaccines on time, they should get caught up as soon as possible. For other diseases, like whooping cough, the protection from vaccine doses received in childhood wears off over time. That's why 11- and 12-year-olds are also recommended to get the booster shot called Tdap. Teens--and adults, too--who have not gotten Tdap should get this booster as soon as possible. Tdap is a version of the DTaP vaccine given to infants and young children. CDC provides an immunization schedule for people ages 7 through 18 years for parents and doctors to protect children and teens from vaccine-preventable disease. It's Not Too Late If a child falls behind schedule on vaccinations, it can be difficult to figure out the best way to catch up. To help, CDC and colleagues at Georgia Tech have developed the Catch-Up Immunization Scheduler, an online tool that shows parents and healthcare providers the best options for getting children 6 years of age and younger back on schedule. · Page last reviewed: May 12, 2011 · Page last updated: May 12, 2011 · Content source: National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases and Division of Bacterial Diseases · Page maintained by: Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Division of News and Electronic Media · URL for this page: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CatchUpImmunizations/