The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partnering with IHS to launch a campaign informing American Indian and Alaska Native parents about the importance of a preteen medical check-up and preteen vaccines.

Dr. Michael Bartholomew, campaign spokesperson, is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, and the chief of pediatrics at the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Fort Defiance, Ariz. He is a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Service with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School and completed his pediatric training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Children’s Hospital.

Bartholomew is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics [] and the Association of American Indian Physicians.

He has a proven track record of working within the AAP. He was awarded an American Academy of Pediatrics-Oral Health Risk Assessment Grant for Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in 2007. He is also the recipient of an American Academy of Pediatrics-Community Access to Child Health grant for the Fort Defiance Childhood Obesity Initiative in 2008. This past year he was also awarded an American Academy of Pediatrics-Mentorship & Technical Assistance Program grant to further develop an obesity program at the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital.

Fact Sheet

Preteen medical check-up and recommended vaccines

It’s a common misperception that vaccines are only for infants. Children also need protection from diseases as they enter their teen years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partnering with the IHS on a campaign to inform Native American parents and other caregivers about the importance of preteen vaccines and a medical checkup for preteens.

The campaign aims to increase awareness of CDC’s vaccination recommendations for 11 and 12 year olds to protect them from potentially serious infections such as whooping cough and meningitis, and from cervical cancer. Annual flu shots and vaccination against 2009 H1N1 influenza are also recommended for preteens – preteens are included in one of the priority groups to receive the first available doses of the H1N1 vaccine.

Ideally vaccines that preteens need will be administered during a medical check-up with your child’s regular doctor. Not only can preteen vaccines be given at the check-up, but the doctor can make sure to catch children up on any missed childhood vaccines, such as varicella (chickenpox) and hepatitis B. During the check-up, the doctor may also screen for diseases like diabetes, and discuss physical and social development and how to stay safe and healthy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians and Society for Adolescent Medicine also recommend the preteen vaccines.

Parents of children who are 11 or 12 should be sure to call their child’s doctor to see if it’s time for a check-up for vaccines and other important health services.

CDC’s recommended vaccines for preteens include:

1) Tdap vaccine: Fights whooping cough (pertussis) plus tetanus and diphtheria.

The Tdap vaccine protects again tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. The childhood TdaP vaccine also protects against these diseases, but it wears off over time, so a booster is recommended at ages 11 or 12. Until 2005, there was not a booster for pertussis – the Td booster for tetanus and diphtheria was recommended.

Boosting immunity to pertussis is especially important in the preteen years. Pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, causes coughing fits that can be so severe that they disrupt normal life. In adolescents, severe complications or death from pertussis are rare, but the illness can last for many weeks. It is easily transmitted by coughing or sneezing. Infants are more likely to be hospitalized and die if they get pertussis, so decreasing the number of preteens and teens who get pertussis may help prevent infants from being exposed to this disease.

With exception of influenza, pertussis is the most common vaccine-preventable disease in American preteens and the one that is most likely to be spread through schools. Pertussis often goes unrecognized by health providers, creating a misperception that it is not a problem.

2) Meningococcal vaccine: Fights bacterial meningitis.

The meningococcal vaccine protects against meningococcal disease, which can spread quickly in crowded conditions such as classrooms and summer camps. Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis, which is a serious infection of the protective lining of the brain and the spinal cord. It can also result in serious bloodstream infections or pneumonia. The result of infection can be devastating. Adolescents die in about 10 percent of cases, even with antibiotic treatment. About 20 percent of survivors will have long-term disability, such as loss of a limb, deafness, nervous system problems, or mental retardation. Meningococcal disease is particularly dangerous because it can progress rapidly and result in death in 48 hours or less.

3) HPV Vaccine: Fights human papilloma virus.

The HPV vaccine protects against human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer and genital warts. HPV is very common – up to 80 percent of sexually active women will contract HPV during their lifetime. The HPV vaccine protects against 70 percent of HPV-related cervical cancers and up to 90 percent of HPV-related cases of genital warts.

HPV is a common virus that is spread through sexual contact. There are many different types of HPV. Some can cause cervical cancer in women. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts in both males and females. Each year about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,000 women die from it in the U.S. (CDC, National Program of Cancer Registries data.)

Native American women have relatively high rates of cervical cancer, which can be prevented by the HPV vaccine. Nationwide, the cervical cancer rate for Native American women is 9.4 per 100,000, compared with 7.4 for non-Hispanic white women, according to “Cancer Among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States.” It’s very important to note that females who complete HPV vaccination still need regular Pap tests to screen for cervical cancers that are caused by types of HPV that are not included in the vaccine.

The recommendation for girls is that they routinely receive vaccine against HPV. The recommendation for boys is a bit different – parents and their sons may choose to get the version of the HPV vaccine that includes protection against warts transmitted by sexual contact but it is not recommended for routine administration like the other vaccines.

4) Flu shots: Protect against seasonal influenza and 2009 H1N1 influenza.

The flu (influenza) is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs that is caused by the influenza virus. The flu spreads from person to person. Most people with flu are sick for about a week, but then feel better. However, some people (especially young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health problems such as asthma or diabetes) can get very sick and some can die. About 36,000 people die from seasonal influenza each year in the U.S.

H1N1 (sometimes called “swine flu”) is a new influenza virus first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading worldwide, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. When the 2009 H1N1 outbreak was first detected, CDC began working with states to collect, compile and analyze information regarding the outbreak, including the numbers of confirmed and probable cases and the ages of these people. The information analyzed by CDC supports the conclusion that 2009 H1N1 flu has caused greater disease burden in people younger than 25 years of age than older people.

5) Catch up vaccines

Preteens should also be caught up on some of the vaccines that are recommended for infants and children, including hepatitis b, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), polio and varicella (chickenpox). Preteens who only got one shot against chickenpox should get the second recommended dose.

For more information, visit the Web site or call (800) CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).