By the time your child becomes a preteen, their childhood vaccinations are already wearing off, putting them at risk for potentially life-threatening diseases. Immunizing your child is one way to protect their health today and for the years ahead.
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends that 11- and 12-year-olds [PDF] receive HPV vaccine (2 doses), Tdap, meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) and seasonal flu vaccines. Some preteens may also need to catch up on other immunizations as well.
ACIP also recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 5 years and older. Learn more about protecting your preteen and teen against COVID-19 at COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens | CDC.).
Recommended Immunizations for Preteens 11 to 12 years
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) (2-shot series) to protect boys and girls from HPV-related cancers and infections
- Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccine helps protect against some of the bacteria that can cause meningococcal disease, including sepsis and meningitis
- Tdap vaccine is recommended for protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Everyone 11-12 years of age and older should get a flu vaccine every year
Preteens may also need to catch up on other immunizations, including chickenpox (many do not have their second dose), MMR (measles mumps, rubella), hepatitis B, and COVID-19
All students born on or after January 1, 2002, and entering or transferring into seventh grade and any new entrant into eighth through 12th grades, in Georgia must provide proof of an adolescent pertussis (whooping cough) booster vaccination (called “Tdap”) and an adolescent meningococcal conjugate vaccination (MenACWY).
Effective July 1, 2021, children sixteen years of age and older who are attending eleventh grade must receive a booster dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine, unless their initial dose was administered on or after their sixteenth birthday.
Check out the Immunization Schedules for All Ages. If you’re not sure if your child is up to date on immunizations, call your pediatrician’s office or health department.
