asheville, Has Your Pre-Teen Received All Their Vaccinations?

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Has Your Pre-Teen Received All Their Vaccinations?

Vaccines are not just for infants and preschool age children. As children get older, the protection they get from their childhood vaccines can wear off. Children also need new vaccines to protect against diseases they can get as teens. Summer is a great time to get this done - before school starts.

Health officials recommend that 11 & 12 year old boys and girls receive four vaccines. These vaccines prevent serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions such as whooping cough, meningitis, cervical cancer and flu.

Tdap � protects against whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus and diphtheria
Meningococcal � protects against meningitis, which is a serious brain & spinal cord infection
HPV (Human papilloma virus) � protects against most cases of cervical cancer & genital warts
Seasonal flu � protects against most common types of flu

Public schools in North Carolina require proof of Tdap vaccine before a child can go to sixth grade. The vaccine protects against the spread of whooping cough, which can spread easily in schools and can be life-threatening, especially among very young children.

Vaccines are available at Buncombe County Department of Health. Some insurance companies and other programs may be able to help pay for vaccines for some children. Tdap is offered for 10 � 12 year olds at no cost.

Walk-ins are welcome - hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please bring your child�s immunization card if possible. Call 828-250-5096 for more information or click on buncombecounty.org/preteen.

(Image provided by Buncombe County.)

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