4 Vital Vaccines for Teens, Including a New Meningitis Treatment
Fall finds teens heading back to their high schools and colleges. And you may be surprised to find that there are four important vaccines that all teens should get today. Two may be familiar to you, but two are brand new, with all four providing the health protection that teenagers truly need. Since many pediatricians tend to focus on childhood vaccines, they may not be as vigilant about these teen treatments. Luckily, MD Now has your family’s best interests and health at heart, so we’ve detailed each vaccine to help you understand its value. And now that the school year is already here, your teen shouldn’t wait to get these vaccines to protect themselves from diseases. Rather than wait for a doctor’s appointment, MD Now offers all of these vaccines at all 22 locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Our convenient hours and locations make it fast and easy for teens to get all the vaccines they need and go back to school safely.
Meningitis Vaccine
This meningitis treatment is essential for all teens. While many may have been given their first meningitis vaccine around age 11, teens should get a second shot once they’re in high school.
Many parents don’t know much about meningitis. It’s an inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord. It proves fatal for 10% of sufferers, while leaving another 20% with severe disabilities.
Fortunately, there is a new meningitis vaccine that even protects against the very rare meningitis strain B, which has seen recent outbreaks at a number of universities. Since this meningitis treatment is relatively new, it’s not currently required, but recommended during outbreaks. Yet the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) wants parents to be informed that it’s a beneficial option to ensure that your teen is safe from sickness.
HPV Vaccine
According to national health advisors, teens should have three doses of the HPV vaccine, yet both parents and teens are unaware that teens need this protection.
Commonly called the HPV vaccine, the human papillomavirus protects against viruses that lead to a variety of cancers and cases of genital warts. The viruses are the main cause of cervical cancer in women, along with both anal and penile cancers in men. Shockingly, a majority of adults get infected at some time in their lives.
While the current HPV vaccine only protects against two to four strains of HPV, the new HPV vaccine protects against nine different strains, including the types that cause around 15% of cervical cancers. If your teen has already had some shots of the older vaccine, their remaining shots can be the new HPV vaccine. And teens who have already three doses of the older vaccine can benefit from the advanced protection of the new vaccine.
Tdap Vaccine
The Tdap vaccine is the adult version of the DTaP vaccine that all kids received in elementary school. Kids under age 7 are given the DTaP vaccine to help develop their immunity to diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.
Now, the Tdap vaccine is a booster given to teens and adults to provide ongoing protection from those serious diseases. The Tdap vaccine is especially important for pregnant women because it can protect their newborn baby until the child is old enough to be vaccinated. After all, most cases of whooping cough occur in infants before they’re fully vaccinated.
Flu Vaccine
The flu is nothing to sneeze at, especially for teens. And since the flu highly contagious, the CDC recommends that almost everyone age 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine. Today, most people have the option of getting the shot or the nasal spray, depending on their age and health.
Experts say that the flu season typically falls between October and May, with the most cases of flu between December and February. This means that the flu season begins in only a few short weeks, so you don’t want to wait to protect your whole family from the flu.
Trust MD Now to Treat Your Family Well
Experience caring, convenient, and cost-efficient treatment for your entire family at MD Now. All of our locations operate on a walk-in, no-appointment basis with hours to conveniently suit your schedule. With 22 locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, the highest-quality care is always within your reach. For the Florida locations nearest you, visit https://dev-www-mymdnow-com.mdgadvertising.com/locations.
To learn more about our urgent care centers, call 888-MDNow-911 or visit www.MDNow.com.
MD Now® Urgent Care Walk-In Medical Centers is the leading provider of fast and affordable urgent care to adults and children in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Our state-of-the-art, walk-in medical centers are open seven days a week to deliver an affordable and convenient alternative to long emergency room wait times and the limited hours of family physicians. No appointment is necessary and major insurance plans are accepted. In addition to providing a comprehensive range of urgent care services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, our multiple locations offer digital x-rays, EKG, lab testing, physicals, immunizations, vaccines, occupational medicine, travel medicine and selected primary care services. Find the medical care you need with the convenience you want at MD Now. Call: 888-MDNow-911, online: www.MDNow.com.