This year’s Preteen Vaccine Week is February 26-March 4. Help make sure your patients’ vaccines are up to date by reminding parents at the preteen doctor visit that their kids should be vaccinated to protect against: COVID-19, human papillomavirus, whooping cough (pertussis), chickenpox (varicella), bacterial meningitis, and influenza. Under state law, all incoming 7th grade students need proof of a Tdap booster shot and two doses of chickenpox vaccine before starting school. More information about these requirements is available at www.ShotsForSchool.org.
Preteen Vaccine Week concludes on International HPV Awareness Day, March 4. Each year in the United States, there are about 36,000 people who develop HPV-related cancers. That’s the same as the average attendance for a major league baseball game! HPV causes cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, and anus. HPV also causes most throat and mouth cancers in men and women and is a bigger risk than smoking for such cancers. HPV vaccine is safe, effective, and provides close to 100% protection against infections and pre-cancers caused by the types of HPV in the vaccine. Read about the benefits of starting the series at age 9.
Join us and partners around California in celebrating Preteen Vaccine Week by posting on social media using these suggested social media messages and sharing educational materials with your patients like this Vaccines for Your Preteen flyer and this Protect Your Preteen/Teen poster, available for order in English and Spanish from your local health department. These and other resources are available electronically, too, at EZIZ.org in many different languages.
Please utilize every opportunity, including sports physicals, to provide immunizations to preteens. Thank you for raising awareness about life-saving vaccines and for supporting Preteen Vaccine Week!
