Do adolescent vaccines have serious side effects ?

• Pain : Shots may hurt but it is not as bad as getting a serious illness such as meningitis or cancer. It is important to talk to  your doctor about ways to reduce your child’s discomfort from a vaccine. Applying pressure to the area of application as well as stroking the area before the shot are various ways to reduce the pain.
•  Fainting : Your doctor will ask that your child stays  for about 15 minutes after the shot just in case she faints. Staying seated reduces  the risk of getting hurt just in case your faint.
• Vaccination during  doctor’s visits :  It is a good idea for your child to get any due shots when  the child visits the pediatrician’s office. This will reduce the chances of your child missing school or activities to go get a shot.
• Safety : All the vaccines routinely recommended for preteens have been license by the Food and Drug Administration  FDA to be safe. If you have any concerns about vaccines for preteen , contact your doctor.

Why is more than one dose of vaccine needed ?

HPV Vaccine :  It is recommended that your child receives 2 doses of this vaccine around the ages of 11 to 12  for full protection. Both doses of HPV vaccines are needed for the body to build up enough immunity to protect against infection.

Meningococcal vaccine : One dose of meningococcal vaccine protects the child but this may wane over time.  A booster dose is needed for the child  to stay fully protected.

Tdap :  There have a recent outbreak of whopping cough in the United States. Research indicates that this is due to decreasing immunity. It is likely that a booster dose of the pertussis vaccine in the Tdap will be recommended in future.

NOTE 

If your child doesnt have insurance, has medicaid or insurance that doesn’t cover vaccines, she qualifies for vaccines at no cost  through the   Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. Most pediatricians provide VFC vaccines. Ask your pediatrician about it.