The Importance of Overcoming Barriers to Adolescent Vaccination

摘要

Over the past few years, we have experienced an unprecedented expansion of vaccines recommended for adolescents, including quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) and tetanus toxoid, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in 2005 and the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) in 2006. A bivalent HPV vaccine (HPV2) was FDA approved in late 2009. Also, catch-up vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended for children and adolescents in states/communities with existing hepatitis control programs in place, for those at increased risk, and for anyone desiring to be protected, and a second dose of varicella vaccine is recommended for all children and adolescents who have received only a single dose, In addition, the 2009-2010 season marked the beginning of universal recommendations for influenza vaccine for all children aged between 6 months and 18 years. Together, these changes resulted in the development of separate vaccine schedules beginning in 2007 for children aged 0-6 years and 7-18 years; the 2009 vaccination schedule for children and adolescents appears in Table 1, The 2010 schedule was in preparation as this manuscript went to press. It will be available online at http://cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/ schedules/default.htm.