New Vaccines: During this cold and flu season it's important for parents to be aware of another serious illness that could affect their teenagers, Pertussis. Commonly known as whooping cough, Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory system that causes spasms of severe coughing and often masquerades much like a cold or the flu. 39% of the reported pertussis cases in 2003 affected children between the ages 10-19. Children receive their last pertussis containing vaccine at 4-6 years of age and few parents realize that the protection from this immunization wears off after 5-10 years. Adolescents currently need a Tetanus booster at 11 years of old. Two adolescent vaccines containing Pertussis are now available. The new vaccine is called TDaP and both GlaxoSmithKline (Boostrix) and Sanofi Aventis (Adacel) have products available. Gardasil is a new vaccine now available that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV). It is one of two vaccines (Cervarix is under development) that have made the most significant strides in the prevention of cervical cancer. HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for girls 11-12 years of age through the age of 26 and is given in a 3-dose series. It is important that girls receive the vaccine at this young age before their first sexual contact because they have not been exposed to HPV. Giving the vaccine to young girls can prevent most cases of cervical cancer. HPV vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea, mostly in babies and young children. It can also be accompanied by vomiting and fever. Children can get Rotavirus by being around other children with the disease. Rotavirus vaccine (Rotateq) is the best way to protect your child from the disease. It is given by mouth in a 3-dose series. The 1st at 2 months, 2nd at 4 months, and 3rd at 6 months of age. Rotateq is given at the same time as other vaccines. Varicella (chickenpox) is a common childhood disease and highly contagious. It can be a very serious disease, especially for infants and adults. Two doses are now recommended to be given at 1 year and again at 4 years along with the other booster doses. A 2nd dose is also recommended for children and adolescents who previously received 1 dose to improve protection against Varicella and for a more rapid impact on school outbreaks. Meningococcal meningitis is a potentially deadly infectious disease caused by bacteria. It is a leading cause of meningitis in children 2-18 years of age, although it can affect anyone. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) was approved and licensed in 2005 and is the preferred vaccine for people 11-55 years of age. It can not prevent all types of the disease, but does protect many people who might have become sick if they had not received the vaccine. MCV4 can be taken at the same time as other vaccines.

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