Vaccine for Teens
Infants and preschoolers routinely receive a full battery of immunizations against childhood diseases. Health officials also now recommend that adolescents, particularly those heading off to college, get a newly approved vaccine to protect them from meningitis and other serious infections.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
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Durham, N.C. -- Infants and preschoolers are routinely immunized against common
childhood illnesses. However, according to Dr. Samuel Katz, former
chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical
Center, another at-risk age group is often overlooked.
“Teen-agers are at risk for a number of diseases. The most recent
vaccine that’s been licensed for teen-agers is meningococcal
vaccine, which is very effective against four of the five types of
meningococcus that cause disease.” Katz says the CDC (Centers
for Disease Control) now recommends the one-time meningitis
vaccination for 11- and 12-year-olds and for unvaccinated students
heading off to high school or college. “We don’t have that many
cases every year in the U.S., about 3,500, but if you’re one of
those 3,500, you have a 10 to 20 percent chance of dying. If you
recover, you have a 20 percent chance of being left with some brain
damage, or losing a limb from amputation or having severe skin
scarring. Though there aren’t millions of cases, these are serious
diseases.” I’m Cabell Smith for MedMinute.
