Keeping up with your immunization record

Pam Daniels, Michigan State University Extension - July 19, 2016

Disease prevention for teens and pre-teens starts with maintaining an immunization record.

We don’t often associate serious diseases with young people, but teens and pre-teens are at high risk for serious, communicable diseases if they aren't keeping up with immunizations.

There can be a false sense of security parents and teens feel once they’ve completed their immunization series (those given from birth to age 18). Problems surrounding your level of protection arise when records are incorrect or show inadvertently missed dosages. The accuracy of immunization records are especially concerning if your child has health issues, is leaving for college or is traveling outside of the United States.

Vaccinations can protect your child from becoming critically ill, permanent disability and, in some cases, even death. The CDC provides an easy to follow immunization guide from birth through late adolescence. The Michigan Department of Community Health and the Vaccine Education Center offers this helpful resource:

Disease	Impact	Dosage needed for full protection
Meningitis	Affects the brain and spinal cord & can be life threatening	One or more dose
Tetanus	Painful tightening of the muscles & can be life threatening	One vaccine (Tdap) protects
Diphtheria	Becoming unable to breathe or move body parts	One vaccine (Tdap) protects
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)	Causes coughing and choking making it hard to eat or breathe	One vaccine (Tdap) protects
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)	Causes genital warts & cervical cancer	Three shots of HPV vaccine are common for girls 11 years of age and older. Boys can get this vaccine too.
Influenza (Flu)	Causes fever, headache, tiredness, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and sore muscles	Once a year vaccine from six months of age and older
Hepatitis A	Can cause fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, and jaundice	Two shots of the hepatitis A vaccine
Hepatitis B	Can cause different kinds of liver disease including cancer	Children need three shots of the hepatitis B vaccine
Varicella (Chickenpox)	Causes itchy rash, fever, and tiredness. Can lead to severe skin infections, scars and pneumonia	All school-age children and teens who have NOT had chickenpox, now need two shots of the Varicella vaccine
Measles	Causes rash, cough, sore eyes and high fever	MMR vaccine/school aged & teens need two shots of MMR vaccine
Mumps	Causes fever, headache, and swelling under the jaw	MMR vaccine/school aged & teens need two shots of MMR vaccine
Rubella (German Measles)	Causes fever, rash and soreness/swelling in joints. Pregnant mothers can pass Rubella to unborn babies	MMR vaccine/school aged & teens need two shots of MMR vaccine
Polio	Causes flu-like symptoms can lead to paralysis and death	Older children & teens need 3 doses of the polio vaccine

The Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) is available to track your child’s immunization records from grade school through college. Talk with your healthcare provider to learn more about disease prevention and visit Michigan State University Extension.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).