Ten years ago, teenagers really only needed one vaccination: for tetanus. As long as they’d gotten their preschool shots, they were good to go for years.

Now there’s a list.

Vaccinations to prevent chicken pox, meningitis, measles, mumps and rubella. And diphtheria, Hepatitis B, the human papilloma virus. Each is required by the state or recommended by physicians today, with more and more added every year. But not everyone is rolling up their sleeve.

Doctors have a tough time getting the over-11-year-old set to come in for shots.

“Traditionally, people think vaccines are just for young kids,” said Jiancheng Huang, director of Maine’s immunization program. “No, things change.”

In recent years, new vaccines (chicken pox) and boosters for old vaccines (mumps) have turned adolescence into a critical immunization period, second only to the preschool years. The change is so recent that state and federal agencies don’t yet track how many adolescents get vaccinations, though the same agencies keep detailed records about young children.

But experts believe the immunization rate for teenagers is low.

Only 5 to 7 percent of Maine preschoolers go without the shots they need, according to the National Centers for Disease Control. Comparatively, about 30 percent of New England adolescents go without, according to one private health plan study called HEDIS.

“It’s a lack of knowledge of how bad it (the disease) could be, so they don’t take the vaccine,” Huang said.

The shots are important, doctors say, because teenagers are often at special risk for the diseases the vaccines cover. Meningitis, for example, is a problem for people living in crowded quarters, such as college dorms. The human papilloma virus, or HPV, can be prevented if young adults are vaccinated before becoming sexually active. Chicken pox is often mild in young children but a major illness for teenagers and adults.

Huang and Dora Mills, head of the Maine Center for Disease Control, say adolescents often ignore checkups because they’re healthy and don’t see a reason for going. So doctors don’t get a chance to talk with them about the need for shots.

“We believe they’re often behind on their vaccinations,” she said.

The state has started requiring the vaccine for chicken pox. Colleges also require some shots, including the one for meningitis. Other vaccines, such as the new one to prevent HPV, are recommended by doctors. Adolescents typically get the shots at various times between age 11 and 19.

But federal, state and private groups say it’s not enough to simply require or recommend adolescent shots. They’ve started to do more.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield calls and writes members to remind them that their 11- and 12-year-olds should go in for vaccinations. It contacted 9,500 people this year.

The state is looking to establish an adolescent vaccine coordinator and has created vaccine infomercials that include information on teens and shots. It’s also seeking federal money so it can pay for older children and teens to get fully vaccinated against chicken pox.

And, for the first time, the National Centers for Disease Control will start tracking how many adolescents get the shots they need.

“It’s become apparent that the data needs to be available,” said Lola Russell, spokeswoman for the CDC.

Experts say parents should consider typical teenage benchmarks – the first years of middle school, high school and college – as good times to visit the doctor.

“It can lead to healthier kids and adults,” said Jeff Holstrom, a family physician and medical director for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. “These are diseases you do not want to get.”

Copy the Story Link