Editors note: It’s back to school time for many which means being up to date on vaccines. Many people are not aware that one of the recommended vaccines can actually protect your children from several types of cancer. For that reason, we chose to highlight a great resource for our readers, “Bug Your Doc,” which provides a wealth of information on the three recommended vaccines for pre-teens, including HPV which can protect against certain cancers. I am honored to say that I have worked with the Cervical Cancer Free Tennessee (CCFTN) taskforce, the group behind this awesome initiative, for several years and support their efforts to educate parents and providers on the importance of the vaccine for cancer prevention. “Bug Your Doc” and ask about all three vaccines for your pre-teen!
There are many steps to getting your child ready to go back to schooItl. Getting the recommended vaccines is one!
Did you know there are 3 recommended vaccines for preteens? HPV, Tdap, and Meningitis. These preteen vaccines help the body fight off serious diseases and keep children safe as they grow up.
HPV vaccine protects girls and boys from the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes 6 types of cancer. HPV vaccine works best when given at ages 11 or 12. The HPV vaccine is given as 2 shots, 6 – 12 months apart (or 3 shots if started after age 15).
Tdap vaccine protects against 3 serious diseases: tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Preteens should get this vaccine at ages 11 – 12.
Meningitis vaccine protects against bacteria that can cause meningitis (swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord) and sepsis (infection in the blood). Preteens should get this vaccine at ages 11 – 12, followed by a booster at age 16.
For more information about these vaccines and how you can protect your child, visit get3shots.org
Caree McAfee, MA, CHES is an experienced community health educator (CHE) and provides research support for the Meharry-Vanderbilt-TSU Cancer Partnership. Ms. McAfee serves as the CHE for the Cancer Outreach Core, coordinating and overseeing the development and testing of health education materials used in behavioral intervention studies, such as HPV vaccine promotion and smoking cessation. Ms. McAfee assists in evaluating materials, research recruitment, intervention delivery, data collection and reporting to local and federal agencies. Ms. McAfee is part of the National Outreach Network and disseminates the cancer partnership's research-based intervention materials. She coordinates several pilot studies, the Middle TN Region Cervical Cancer Free TN Coalition, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's HPV Working Group
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