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Understanding vaccines

• Why vaccinate?
• How do vaccines work?
• Are vaccines safe?
• Why is the HPV vaccine important?

Flu Facts

This year everyone over 6 months should get a flu shot. Check your flu I.Q. with the quiz to the right. Or watch a video about kids and flu in American Sign Language.

Why vaccinate?

Vaccines help prevent infections and save lives. They protect the person who has received the vaccine and others who come into contact with her. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many diseases that were once common in the U.S., including polio, measles, and mumps. But even if a disease is under control, people still need vaccines to make sure it doesn’t become a problem again.

Unfortunately, many adolescents do not receive their recommended vaccinations. Make sure the girls you care for get vaccinated. This simple step can protect kids from some serious, and possibly deadly, diseases.

Four vaccines are recommended for pre-teen and adolescent girls:

• Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
• Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccine
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
• Yearly influenza (flu) vaccine

Girls may also need to “catch up” on childhood vaccines. If you think that a girl missed vaccines for certain diseases, like polio, when she was younger, ask her doctor. She may need to get those vaccines now.

Detailed information about vaccines is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An updated vaccination schedule (PDF 100KB) for kids and teens is also available.

How do vaccines work? top

A vaccine works by putting a weakened form of the disease germ into a person’s body. The person’s body uses its own antibodies to fight against this weakened germ. Then the antibodies are ready to destroy the actual germ if it ever enters the person’s body.

Are vaccines safe? top

Vaccine information

Learn more about vaccine safety, which vaccines girls need at different ages, and many other related topics at vaccines.gov.

Here is some helpful information about vaccine safety:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires thorough safety testing of vaccines before they are approved to use. Once a vaccine is in use, the government continues to monitor its safety.
• Usually vaccines cause no side effects or only mild ones such as fever or soreness at the injection site.
• Very rarely, people experience more serious side effects, like allergic reactions. Be sure the doctor or nurse knows about a girl’s health problems or any allergies to medications or food.

Some people worry that vaccines can cause autism. Many studies have looked for a link between vaccines and autism. The medical and scientific communities have found no association between vaccines and autism. In fact, a medical panel recently stated that the researcher who claimed that vaccines caused autism made some false statements.

If you have questions or concerns about vaccines, talk with your child’s pediatrician.

Why is the HPV vaccine important? top

The vaccine for HPV, or human papillomavirus (say: pap-uh-LOH-muh-veye-ruhs), helps protect against several types of HPV. HPV can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.

HPV is passed through genital contact with someone who is infected with it. A person can be infected and not know because HPV often has no symptoms. HPV is very common in people in their late teens and early 20s.

Here are some key points about the HPV vaccine:

• The HPV vaccine works best if a girl gets it before she is ever exposed to the virus. That’s why it’s recommended for girls as young as 11 or 12. Girls can even get the vaccine as young as 9.
• A girl can still get the vaccine even if she is older than 12 and even if she has already had sex.
• The vaccine is given as a series of three shots over the course of several months.
• The vaccine was tested on tens of thousands of people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is safe.
• The vaccine won’t protect against all types of HPV or other types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). So even if a girl gets the vaccine, any male partners she has should use a latex condom every time.
• The vaccine comes under two brand names. Cervarix helps protect against genital warts. Gardasil helps protect against cervical cancer and genital warts. You can discuss the options with a doctor or nurse.

More information on the HPV vaccine is available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Content last updated January 7, 2011

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