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The CDC supports vaccinating appropriate adolescents

Selected vaccines recommended by the ACIP to the CDC1

Human papillomavirus1–3

  • 11- to 12-year-old females should be vaccinated routinely.
  • 11- to 12-year-old males should be vaccinated routinely.a
  • 13- to 26-year-old females should be vaccinated if not previously vaccinated.
  • 13- to 21-year-old males should be vaccinated if not previously vaccinated.a
  • aACIP recommendations are considered provisional until published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Meningococcal disease1

  • 11- to 12-year-olds should be vaccinated routinely with a booster dose given at 16 years of age.
  • 13- to 18-year-olds should be vaccinated if not previously vaccinated. Patients receiving their first dose at 13 through 15 years of age should receive a booster dose at 16 through 18 years of age.

Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis1,4

  • 11- to 18-year-olds should receive a single dose of Tdap.
  • Adolescents should preferably receive vaccination at the 11- to 12-year-old preventive health care visit.

Varicella1

  • 7- to 18-year-olds without evidence of immunity should receive 2 doses if not previously vaccinated or the 2nd dose if only 1 dose has been administered.

The featured vaccines are available for appropriate males and females up to age 18 who are eligible under the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program from the CDC.5–8

CDC=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; ACIP= Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Indication for GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant]

GARDASIL is a vaccine indicated in females 9 through 26 years of age for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers and for males and females 9 through 26 years of age for the prevention of anal cancer, precancerous or dysplastic lesions, and genital warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

GARDASIL does not eliminate the necessity for girls to continue to undergo recommended cervical cancer screening later in life. Recipients of GARDASIL should not discontinue anal cancer screening if it has been recommended by a health care professional.

GARDASIL has not been demonstrated to provide protection against diseases from vaccine and non-vaccine HPV types to which a person has previously been exposed through sexual activity.

GARDASIL is not intended to be used for treatment of active external genital lesions; cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers; or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN), or anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN).

GARDASIL has not been demonstrated to protect against diseases due to HPV types not contained in the vaccine.

Not all vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers are caused by HPV, and GARDASIL protects only against those vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers caused by HPV Types 16 and 18.

Select Safety Information for GARDASIL

GARDASIL is contraindicated in individuals with hypersensitivity, including severe allergic reactions to yeast, or after a previous dose of GARDASIL.

Because vaccinees may develop syncope, sometimes resulting in falling with injury, observation for 15 minutes after administration is recommended. Syncope, sometimes associated with tonic-clonic movements and other seizure-like activity, has been reported following vaccination with GARDASIL. When syncope is associated with tonic-clonic movements, the activity is usually transient and typically responds to restoring cerebral perfusion.

GARDASIL is not recommended for use in pregnant women.

The most common adverse reaction was headache. Common adverse reactions that were observed among recipients of GARDASIL at a frequency of at least 1.0% and greater than placebo were fever, nausea, dizziness; and injection-site pain, swelling, erythema, pruritus, and bruising.

Dosage and Administration for GARDASIL

GARDASIL should be administered in 3 separate intramuscular injections in the deltoid region of the upper arm or in the higher anterolateral area of the thigh over a 6-month period with the first dose at an elected date, the second dose 2 months after the first dose, and the third dose 6 months after the first dose.

Before administering GARDASIL, please read the Prescribing Information and Patient Product Information.

About VARIVAX® (Varicella Virus Vaccine Live)

VARIVAX is indicated for vaccination against varicella in individuals 12 months of age and older.

Children 12 months to 12 years of age should receive a 0.5-mL dose administered subcutaneously; if a second 0.5-mL dose is administered, it should be given a minimum of 3 months later.

Adolescents and adults 13 years of age and older should receive a 0.5-mL dose administered subcutaneously at elected date and a second 0.5-mL dose 4 to 8 weeks later.

Select Safety Information for VARIVAX

VARIVAX is contraindicated in certain individuals, including those with: a history of hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine, including gelatin; a history of anaphylactoid reaction to neomycin; blood dyscrasias, leukemia, lymphomas of any type, or other malignant neoplasms affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic systems; an immunodeficient condition or receiving immunosuppressive therapy; active, untreated tuberculosis; active febrile illness; or those who are pregnant.

In children, adolescents, and adults monitored for up to 42 days, the adverse effects most frequently reported were as follows: fever, injection-site complaints, varicella-like rash (injection site), and varicella-like rash (generalized).

In a clinical trial involving children who received 2 doses of VARIVAX 3 months apart, the incidence of injection-site clinical complaints (primarily erythema and swelling) observed in the first 4 days following vaccination was slightly higher post-dose 2 (overall incidence 25.4%) than post-dose 1 (overall incidence 21.7%), whereas the incidence of systemic clinical complaints in the 42-day follow-up period was lower post-dose 2 (66.3%) than post-dose 1 (85.8%).

There are insufficient data to assess the rate of protection of VARIVAX against the serious complications of chickenpox (eg, encephalitis, hepatitis, pneumonia), and during pregnancy (congenital varicella syndrome).

The duration of protection from varicella infection after vaccination with VARIVAX is unknown; however, long-term efficacy studies have demonstrated continued protection up to 10 years after vaccination.

Vaccination with VARIVAX may not result in protection of all healthy, susceptible children, adolescents, and adults.

Before administering VARIVAX, please read the Prescribing Information and Patient Product Information.

References: 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recommended immunization schedules for persons aged 0 through 18 years—United States, 2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(5):1–4. 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FDA licensure of bivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV2, Cervarix) for use in females and updated HPV vaccination recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;59(20):626–629. 3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FDA licensure of quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4, Gardasil) for use in males and guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;59(20):630-632, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Press Briefing Transcript. http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/t1025_hpv_12yroldvaccine.html, accessed, November 1, 2011.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Updated recommendations for use of tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(1):13–15. 5. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vaccines for Children Program. Vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus. Resolution No. 010/09-1. Adopted and effective October 21, 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/downloads/resolutions/1009hpv-508.pdf. Accessed March 9, 2011. 6. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vaccines for Children Program. Vaccines to prevent meningococcal disease. Resolution No. 010/10-1. Adopted and effective October 27, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/downloads/resolutions/0609mening-mcv-508.pdf. Accessed March 9, 2011. 7. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vaccines for Children Program. Vaccines to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Resolution No. 10/10-2. Adopted and effective October 27, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/downloads/resolutions/1010dtap-508.pdf. Accessed March 9, 2011. 8. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vaccines for Children Program. Vaccines to prevent measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Resolution No. 06/09-3. Adopted and effective June 25, 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/downloads/resolutions/0609mmrv-508.pdf. Accessed March 9, 2011.