When to Vaccinate |
What Vaccine |
Why |
---|---|---|
Birth (or any age if not previously immunized) | Hepatitis B (HBV) (three doses)—HepB | Prevents hepatitis B, a type of liver disease that can lead to liver scarring, cancer, or failure. |
1 to 4 Months | HepB | |
2 Months | Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis— DTaP | Prevents: Diphtheria, a serious bacterial infection that can lead to breathing problems Tetanus, a bacterial illness that causes a painful tightening of the muscles, such as "lock jaw" Pertussis (Whooping cough), an infectious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable coughing |
Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine (three doses)—Hib | Protects against illnesses like meningitis, pneumonia, and infections of the blood, bones, and joints | |
Inactivated poliovirus vaccine—IPV | Protects against polio, a contagious, paralyzing, and life-threatening disease | |
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine—PCV | Protects against the pneumococcal bacterium, the leading cause of infections such as pneumonia, blood infections, and bacterial meningitis | |
Rotavirus vaccine (three doses)—RV | Protects against severe diarrhea, mostly in babies and young children | |
4 Months | DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV, RV | |
6 Months and Annually | Influenza – Flu vaccine or flu "shot" (two doses, one month apart, for those under 9 getting a flu shot for the first time) | Protects against seasonal flu |
6 Months | DTaP, Hib, PCV, RV | |
6 – 18 Months | Hep B, IPV | |
12 – 15 Months | Hib, PCV | |
Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) vaccine—MMR | A "3 in 1" vaccine against three potentially life-threatening diseases: |
|
Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine—Var Note: In February 2008, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) changed its recommendations. It had recommended giving the MMR and Varicella vaccines at the same time. Now it does not express a preference for giving them separately or at the same time. |
Protects against chickenpox, a usually mild infectious disease characterized by an uncomfortable, itchy rash, fever, and headache; in adults, can cause shingles and other serious problems | |
12 – 23 Months | Hepatitis A vaccine (two doses)—Hep A | Protects against a type of liver disease |
15 – 18 Months | DTaP | |
4 – 6 Years | DTaP, MMR, IPV, Var | |
11 – 12 Years | Human papillomavirus vaccine—HPV | In young girls, prevents most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer |
Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis booster—Tdap | ||
Meningitis vaccine—MCV | Protects against meningitis, an inflammation of the thin tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord; there are several types of meningitis | |
College Entrants | Meningitis vaccine for college aged—MCV4 | Protects against meningitis, recommended for previously unvaccinated college entrants planning to live in dormitories. |
Sources: medlineplus.gov; U.S. Centers for Disease Control; CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices