Adolescents
Immunizations aren't just for babies.
Immunizations aren’t just for babies. As children get older, protection provided by some vaccines can wear off. Also, there are new vaccinations that can help keep teens healthy. Some diseases, like chickenpox, cause more serious illness in teens and adults. Older children also can spread diseases to people around them who aren’t fully protected from some diseases. For this reason, adolescents who spend time around young infants or older people should make sure they’re up-to-date to help keep their loved ones healthy.
Click here to view the Maryland Adolescent Immunization Schedule
Talk to your health care provider to find out which immunizations you may need.
Diseases That Can Be Prevented by Childhood Immunizations
Please click on the disease below to find out more information.
Diphtheria
Although rare in the United States, diphtheria can cause serious illness in people of all ages. It is transmitted through close contact with an infected person and causes death in 5 to 10% of those who catch the disease.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against diphtheria.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A is contagious, meaning it can be spread from person to person. It is transmitted through contact with objects, food, or drinks that contain feces or stool of a person who has hepatitis A.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus. It can be spread from person to person through blood, semen, and other bodily fluid. Hepatitis B is most commonly transmitted through intercourse, IV drug use, and from an infected mother to her child during delivery.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
Human Papilomavirus (HPV)
HPV is a group of viruses that, in most cases, are spread through sexual contact. Although the majority of cases of HPV clear up on their own, some lead to cervical cancer.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against HPV.
Influenza (also called “the flu”)
The flu is an illness caused by the influenza virus. While people of all ages can catch the flu, some are more likely to get very ill or die from the disease. Young children, people with chronic diseases, and seniors are at greater risk for serious illness and death from the flu.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against influenza.
Measles
Measles is a highly-contagious disease that can be spread by coughs and sneezes of an infected person. Measles can lead to serious illness in children under the age of five and adults over 20 years old. Though deaths from measles are rare in the United States, it kills nearly 1 million children worldwide every year.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against measles.
Meningitis
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. It can cause serious illness and, in serious cases, loss of limbs or death. Meningitis is spread through close contact with an infected person, most commonly through coughing, sneezing, or kissing.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against meningitis.
Mumps
Mumps is an illness caused by the mumps virus. Typically, it is spread through coughs or sneezes of an infected person. Although uncommon in the United States, mumps can serious illness in pre-adolescent children and pregnant women.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against mumps.
Pertussis
Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough”, is a highly-contagious disease that often is mistaken for a common cold in adolescents and adults. It is spread by coughs and sneezes of an infected person and can cause serious illness in young infants. Because pertussis in adolescents and adults frequently goes undiagnosed, it unknowingly can be spread to infants who have not been fully protected from the disease through immunization.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against pertussis.
Rubella
Rubella, sometimes called “German measles”, is a viral illness that causes fever and rash. It is spread by the coughs or sneezes of a person who is infected with rubella. The disease can cause serious birth defects in children born to women who have rubella during pregnancy.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against rubella.
Tetanus
Tetanus, sometimes called “lockjaw”, is a serious illness that causes tightening of the muscles all over the body. Tetanus enters the body through a break in the skin and leads to death in about one out of ten cases.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against tetanus.
Varicella
Varicella (also called “chickenpox”) – chickenpox is a highly-contagious disease that causes blisters all over the body. Although many people believe chickenpox is a harmless, childhood disease, it can cause severe illness in people of all ages. In fact, serious complications from varicella are more common in adolescents and adults.
Click here for more information and to learn who should be vaccinated against varicella.
Contact Us
Maryland Partnership for Prevention, Inc.
P.O. Box 702
Owings Mills, Maryland 21117
Phone: 410-902-4677
Fax: 410-902-7771
