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Alpine County Health Department, 75-B Diamond Valley Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120 Alpine County Board of Supervisors, Phone: (530) 694-2281 District 1: Donald M. Jardine, District 2: Ron Hames, District 3: Katherine Rakow, District 4: Terry Woodrow, District 5: Mary Rawson Tuesday, August 11, 2015 Your children are in school. Now you can forget about more vaccines. Right? Wrong – hopefully not dead wrong! Parents can do a number of things to ensure a healthy future for their child. One of the most important actions parents can take is to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccines. Following the recommended immunization schedule provides the best protection from serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases. Preteens and teens need Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine, quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, and HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine to protect against serious diseases. Preteens and teens need vaccines because they are at greater risk for certain diseases like meningitis, septicemia (blood infection), and the cancers caused by HPV infection. By making sure vaccines are up to date, parents can send their preteens and teens to middle school and high school – and also off to college – with protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. Being vaccinated not only helps protect adolescents from getting certain diseases like whooping cough (pertussis), it also helps stop the spread of these diseases to others in their family, classroom and community. This is especially important to help protect babies too young to be fully vaccinated, people age 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer, heart disease or other health conditions. Public Health Brief Richard O. Johnson, M.D., MPH Nichole Williamson Public Health Officer HHS Director Office: [PHONE REDACTED] Office: [PHONE REDACTED] e-mail: [EMAIL REDACTED] 24/7/365 Emergency Contact Numbers Dr. Johnson’s cell: (760) 914-0496 Dispatch: [PHONE REDACTED], Ext 330 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Health Department, 75-B Diamond Valley Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120 Alpine County Board of Supervisors, Phone: (530) 694-2281 District 1: Donald M. Jardine, District 2: Ron Hames, District 3: Katherine Rakow, District 4: Terry Woodrow, District 5: Mary Rawson If you need more information, watch these videos, and/or read on! Meningitis Pertussis or whooping cough HPV Quadrivalent Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine: Protection against meningococcal disease. ∞ The quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended for all preteens at age 11 or 12 for protection against some of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease. The two most severe and common illnesses caused by meningococcal disease are infections of the fluid and lining around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) and the bloodstream (septicemia or bacteremia). ∞ Meningococcal disease can be very serious, even fatal. ∞ A second shot is recommended for teens at age 16 to continue providing protection when their risk for meningococcal disease is higher. ∞ Teens who didn’t receive quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine for the first time until age 13 through 15 years will also need a second dose at 16. ∞ Teens who haven’t received any quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate shots should get one as soon as possible. ∞ If your teen missed getting the vaccine altogether, ask his or her health care professional about getting it now. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Health Department, 75-B Diamond Valley Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120 Alpine County Board of Supervisors, Phone: (530) 694-2281 District 1: Donald M. Jardine, District 2: Ron Hames, District 3: Katherine Rakow, District 4: Terry Woodrow, District 5: Mary Rawson Tdap: Help keep whooping cough from spreading. ∞ Tdap vaccine is a booster recommended at age 11 or 12 to help protect against three serious diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (also called whooping cough). It is also recommended for any teen (13 to 18 years old) who hasn’t had this shot yet. ∞ The Tdap vaccine takes the place of one tetanus booster (Td vaccine). ∞ Tdap vaccine is especially important for older children and adults who will have close contact with babies younger than 1 year. ∞ Tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough are all caused by bacteria. o Both diphtheria and whooping cough are spread from person to person. o Tetanus enters the body through cuts, scratches or wounds. ∞ More than 28,000 cases of whooping cough were provisionally reported to CDC during 2014. Data show that more than 48,000 cases of whooping cough occurred in 2012, a nearly 60-year high. The vaccine is safe – protection just doesn’t last as long as we would like it to. ∞ CDC’s current estimate is that Tdap vaccination protects about 65 out of 100 adolescents – and their younger siblings - for the following 2-3 years. HPV vaccine is cancer prevention. ∞ HPV is short for human papilloma virus. There are more than 40 HPV types that infect human mucosal surfaces, mostly the genitals and mouth/throat. Although most infections will go away naturally, some infections that don’t go away can cause cancers in men and women. ∞ HPV vaccine is a life-saving vaccine that protects against HPV infections that cause most cases of cervical cancer and many cases of other cancers, including cancers of the anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils). ∞ Preteens need the HPV vaccine now to prevent HPV cancers later in life. ∞ About 79 million people in the U.S., most in their teens and early 20s, are infected with HPV. About 14 million people become infected every year. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Health Department, 75-B Diamond Valley Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120 Alpine County Board of Supervisors, Phone: (530) 694-2281 District 1: Donald M. Jardine, District 2: Ron Hames, District 3: Katherine Rakow, District 4: Terry Woodrow, District 5: Mary Rawson ∞ CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians strongly recommend HPV vaccination at ages 11 to 12 for the best protection against HPV cancers. ∞ HPV vaccine protects against HPV infections that cause HPV cancers and disease. For teens who have not started the series at 11 or 12 years, it’s not too late. It is still beneficial to get the vaccine as soon as possible during the teen years. ∞ HPV vaccine works best when it is given to boys and girls at age 11 or 12 years. For HPV vaccines to be effective, they should be given before one is exposed to HPV. Very little exposure to HPV infection occurs at 11 and 12 years of age. Also, HPV vaccine produces the most antibodies, or infection-fighting proteins, during the preteen years. ∞ The HPV vaccine has a very good safety record. Like any vaccine or medicine, HPV vaccines can cause side effects. Common side effects are pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given, as well as dizziness, fainting, nausea and headache ∞ The benefits of HPV vaccination far outweigh any potential risk of side effects. ∞ Take advantage of any visit to the doctor – checkups, sick visits, even physicals for sports, camps, or college – to ask the doctor about what vaccines your preteens and teens need. Check the childhood immunization schedule for all recommended vaccines for ages 7 to 18: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-read/preteen-teen.html