Vaccine Schedule

Adolescent Vaccine Schedule

The Tdap vaccine is required for entry to 7th grade, and the Meningitis vaccine, though not required, is strongly recommended.

At Framingham Pediatrics, we recommend the following schedule:

Entering 7th Grade: Tdap, Meningitis and HPV Vaccines
Entering 8th Grade and older: 3 doses of HPV Vaccine if not already received
Age 16 and older: Meningitis booster if booster dose not already received

Tdap Vaccine

We have been using a new form of diphtheria and tetanus vaccine for adolescents entering 7th grade for several years. The Tdap vaccine adds protection against pertussis ("whooping cough") to the previous vaccine that protected against diphteria and tetanus only. This new vaccine should significantly diminish the number of cases of whooping cough recently being seen in middle schools and high schools. The Tdap vaccine is now recommended for adolescents who received the old Td vaccine more than five years ago. In most cases this will occur prior to 12th grade.

The new Tdap vaccine is also recommended for adolescents and adults who are exposed to pertussis ("whooping cough,") or who have significant family or work-related exposure to young infants, even if they have had the old Td vaccine in the past five years. Young infants are not yet vaccinated against pertussis, and the disease can be deadly to them. Parents of newborn infants are encouraged to seek this new vaccine from their own physicians.

Meningitis Vaccine

We are recommending the meningococcal ("meningitis") vaccine, known as MCV4 or Menactra, for all adolescents entering 7th grade. Effective March 2011, we are now recommending a booster dose of this vaccine for all adolescents and young adults under age 21 whose first meningitis vaccine was at least 5 years earlier.

HPV Vaccine

We are also now recommending the HPV vaccine for all girls and boys entering 7th grade or older. This vaccine prevents infection from 2 types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancer, and from 2 types of HPV that cause 90% of genital warts. It is one of only 2 vaccines that prevent cancer (the other is Hepatitis B Vaccine.) Every year in the US, about 10,000 women get cervical cancer and 3700 die from it.

The vaccine is a 3 shot series given over 6 months. It is now routinely recommended for patients entering 7th grade or older. It is important for patients to get HPV vaccine before their first sexual contact.

For More Information

Go back to the Main Page