Preteen Vaccine Week: February 12-18

There are more than 113,000 preteens ages 11 and 12 in San Diego County. They are at the age when they begin making important decisions and are ready to become more involved in their personal health. The decisions they make at this age set the foundation for a lifetime of healthy choices.

Immunization is the most cost-effective form of healthcare delivery, and most vaccines are 85–100% effective at preventing disease. Preteen Vaccine Week, a California observance created to raise awareness of the importance of immunizations for “tweens” ages 11 and 12, is celebrated this year Feb. 12–18. There will be a strong public awareness campaign designed to educate parents and preteens about the importance of vaccinations, encouraging them to visit their physician, and giving you an opportunity to have an impactful conversation with them about their health.

Immunization rates, most notably for teens and adults, have been on the decline due primarily to misinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Yet the CDC statistics demonstrate dramatic declines in vaccine-preventable diseases when compared with the pre-vaccine era. Many diseases previously eradicated in the United States are evident just a plane ride away, as we saw with the measles outbreak in 2008 and the most recent rise in pertussis. School-based varicella outbreaks are common, and influenza kills thousands every year. The message to patients and parents should be clear: Vaccinations are safe, they do not cause autism or overwhelm the immune system, and vaccination is a community health prevention endeavor. Children are at higher risk by not having immunization (35 times more risk for measles, 5.9 times more risk for pertussis).

As pertussis vaccination is now required of youth entering seventh grade (Assembly Bill 354), there will be increased opportunity for primary care physicians and pediatricians to discuss the importance of the other immunizations and other health issues with their young patients and their parents. This visit is a great opportunity for parents and preteens to discuss the challenges of growing up with their healthcare providers, such as eating right, standing up to peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, and other concerns.

Physicians are reporting an increase in the number and severity of HPV cases in unimmunized young adults; immunization prior to sexual activity can prevent 70% of cervical cancer. Influenza contracted by a youth at school is easily spread throughout the family, increasing the likelihood of workdays missed, and putting both infants and older adults at greater risk of complications and even death. Without broad-scale vaccination, we will lose our heard immunity, which will have long-term public health consequences.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends that 11- and 12-year-olds receive, along with the Tdap vaccine, meningococcal vaccine, HPV vaccine, and the second chickenpox shot. All preteens are also recommended to receive an annual dose of flu vaccine. The California Department of Public Health further recommends that all vaccinated Californians 10 years and older receive a booster shot against pertussis.

For those physicians engaged in pay-for-performance quality assurance programs with the IHA Consortium in California, part of the HEDIS measures used for tiering performance effective beginning 2011 includes immunization rates at ages 11–12.

This February’s public awareness campaign is designed to reach parents, since they are the ultimate decision-makers for their children. Once parents and preteens are in your office, the opportunity for health education is yours.

Recommended Immunizations

Shots that are recommended for 11- and 12-year-olds include:

• Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) to protect against certain serious types of bacterial meningitis and other related infections.
• Tdap vaccine to help prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. All incoming seventh graders need proof of a Tdap vaccine before starting school.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series that can protect girls against cervical cancer (a cancer in a part of the reproductive system); boys should also be immunized.
• A second chickenpox vaccine.
• An annual flu vaccine.

Resources for your practice:

• Preteen Vaccine Week page (downloadable materials, PSAs, and campaign kit): www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immunize/Pages/PreteenVaccineWeek.aspx
• ACIP Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm
• Vaccine Safety Information for Medical Assistants and Parents: www.immunizeca.org/what-we-do/provide-vaccine-safety-information
• True stories of Vaccine-preventable Disease Survivors: www.shotbyshot.org