All practitioners at Framingham Pediatrics strongly support adherence to the immunization schedule of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Our vaccine policy minimizes the risk of your child suffering from preventable illness. During flu season, we also recommend flu shots for all our patients. During flu season, we also recommend flu shots for all our patients.
At Framingham Pediatrics, we recommend the following schedule:
- 11 year old visit: Tdap, HPV and MCV4 Vaccines
- Those 15 years and older: 3 doses of HPV Vaccine if not already received
- Age 16 and older: MCV4 booster .
HPV vaccine
Children younger than 15 years of age only require two doses of HPV vaccine. This recommendation comes as studies have demonstrated increased effectiveness of the vaccine in younger adolescents when compared to older teenagers.
On the basis of these recommendations, we have changed our HPV vaccine schedule as follows:
- 11-14 years of age: 2 dose series, at least 6 months apart (starting at 11 year old check up)
- 15-26 years of age: 3 dose series, 2nd dose 1-2 months after the 1st and the 3rd dose at least 4 months after the 2nd.
We will continue to administer the 3 dose series to all patients 15 years and older, or anyone who got their second dose before the 6 month mark.
Note: anyone with a weakened immune system, aged 9-26 years will continue to require 3 doses of HPV vaccine.
Tdap vaccine
The Tdap vaccine adds protection against pertussis ("whooping cough") to the previous vaccine that protected against diphteria and tetanus only. This vaccine should significantly diminish the number of cases of whooping cough previously seen in middle schools and high schools.
The Tdap vaccine is also recommended for adolescents and adults who are exposed to pertussis ("whooping cough,") or who have significant family or work-related exposure to young infants, even if they have had the old Td vaccine in the past five years. Young infants are not yet vaccinated against pertussis, and the disease can be deadly to them. Parents and grandparents of newborn infants are encouraged to seek this new vaccine from their own physicians.
Meningitis vaccine
We are recommending the meningococcal ("meningitis") vaccine, known as MCV4 or Menactra, for all adolescents at their 11 year old checkup, with a booster dose at the 16 year old checkup.