Contents
Off to the Future – Young Adults ............................................................................................................. 2
Getting vaccinated is an important action .......................................................................................... 2
Vaccines are recommended throughout our lives. .............................................................................. 3
Talk with your health care professional about which vaccines you need. ..................................... 3
Follow the immunization schedule for young adults ............................................................................ 3
Influenza (Flu) Vaccine ...................................................................................................................... 3
Tdap Vaccine ...................................................................................................................................... 3
HPV (Human Papilloma virus) Vaccine .......................................................................................... 4
Meningococcal Vaccine......................................................................................................................... 4
Childhood Vaccines ............................................................................................................................... 4
Vaccines for Travel ................................................................................................................................ 5
Influenza (Flu) Vaccine .......................................................................................................................... 5
Tetanus and Tdap Vaccine ................................................................................................................... 5
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine.............................................................................................. 6
Meningococcal Vaccine......................................................................................................................... 7
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Off to the Future – Young Adults
Getting ready for college or your future career means making sure you are up to date on all
doses of the recommended vaccines–both to protect yourself and others around you. Because
some diseases can spread quickly in settings like college dorms and classrooms, many colleges
and universities have vaccination requirements for school entry.
Everyone age 6 months and older should have a flu shot every year. And every adult should get
the Tdap vaccine once if they did not receive it as an adolescent, to protect against pertussis
(whooping cough), tetanus, and diphtheria, and then a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster every 10
years. The HPV vaccine is recommended for boys and girls ages 11-12. Young women and
men who have not started or finished the HPV vaccine series may be vaccinated through age
26. Meningococcal vaccine is recommended for young adults, especially first-year students who
will be living in residence halls.
Your need for other vaccines depends on factors such as your childhood vaccination history,
travel plans, personal health status and risks.
There are key points about adult vaccines. Full recommendations for each vaccine can be found
at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/ACIP-list.htm
Getting vaccinated is an important action
to take to protect you from serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.

Preparing for the future means making sure you’re up to date with your vaccines. Without that protection,
you’re at risk for a number of vaccine-preventable diseases that can be serious, even deadly.

Vaccination is important because it not only protects the person receiving the vaccine, but also helps
prevent the spread of disease, especially to those who are most vulnerable to serious complications such as
infants and young children, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions and weakened immune systems.

Every year, thousands of adults in the U.S. suffer serious health problems, are hospitalized, and even die
from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Lessen your worries about missing classes, college life or other activities by making sure you are up to date
with all doses of all recommended vaccines.
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Vaccines are recommended
throughout our lives.
Young adults need vaccines, too.

The need for vaccination does not end in childhood. Vaccines are recommended
throughout our lives based on age, lifestyle, and occupation, locations of travel, medical conditions and
previous vaccination history.

Even healthy young adults can get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases. Protection from vaccines you
received during childhood can wear off with time, and you may also be at risk for other vaccine-preventable
diseases.

Far too few adults are receiving the recommended vaccines, leaving themselves and their loved ones
unnecessarily vulnerable to serious diseases.
Talk with your health care professional about which vaccines you need.

If you are a young adult who is unsure about your immunization records, talk to your parents, your doctor,
health clinic or high school nurse to find out which vaccines are for recommended you.

CDC updates the vaccines recommended for adults each year based on the latest recommendations and
research on vaccine safety, effectiveness and patterns of vaccine-preventable diseases.

CDC’s recommendations are also reviewed and approved by professional medical provider organizations,
including the American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and American College of Nurse-Midwives.

CDC encourages college health centers, medical practices, health departments, pharmacists, and other
immunization providers to routinely assess the vaccine needs of their patients and make a strong
recommendation for needed vaccination.

Vaccines are available at private doctor offices and convenient locations such as pharmacies, clinics,
workplaces and public health departments.

The Affordable Care Act keeps young people covered under their parents’ health insurance until age 26.
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines to children under 19 years of age from lowincome families. To learn more about VFC, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/about/#eligibility
Follow the immunization schedule for young adults.
Influenza (Flu) Vaccine

Everyone age 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine every year. This is especially important for
people with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, and college-age students who will be in close
contact with many other people.

Each year in the U.S., an estimated 226,000 people are hospitalized due to the flu, and up to 49,000 people
die.
Tdap Vaccine

You need one dose of Tdap if you did not receive it as an adolescent.

Pregnant women should get a Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy. Tdap protects against tetanus,
diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). Whooping cough can cause extremely bad coughing for many
weeks. Some people may even break their ribs from coughing.
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
After receiving a Tdap vaccine, a Td vaccine is recommended once every 10 years.

Data show that more than 48,000 cases of whooping cough and 20 deaths were reported in the U.S. in
2012.
HPV (Human Papilloma virus) Vaccine

HPV vaccine is cancer prevention. The HPV vaccine protects against HPV types that cause most cervical
cancer, anal, vaginal and vulvar cancers. It can also protect against HPV types that cause genital warts.

Three doses of HPV vaccine protect against the most common types of human papilloma virus known to
cause cervical cancer later in life. HPV vaccines are recommended for teen boys and girls who did not get
the vaccine when they were younger, teen girls and young women through age 26, as well as teen boys and
young men through age 21.

A recent study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases showed that, since the vaccine was
introduced in 2006, cases of HPV have decreased 56 percent among female teenagers 14-19 years of age
who had received the vaccine.
Meningococcal Vaccine

Some states require students entering colleges and universities to be vaccinated against certain diseases
like meningococcal disease. This is due to the slightly increased risk of contracting these diseases in close
quarters like residence halls.

If a college-bound student has received the meningococcal vaccines prior to his or her 16 th birthday, a
second dose is needed for best protection from a dangerous and potentially deadly infection
in the brain and spinal cord caused by meningococcal disease.
Childhood Vaccines

Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like chickenpox, can be worse for teens
and young adults than for children. Two doses of varicella vaccine are needed if
you’ve not been fully vaccinated as a child, and have never had chickenpox. One
to two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed if you’ve not been fully vaccinated
against measles, mumps and rubella.
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Vaccines for Travel


If you are planning to travel or study abroad, think immunizations. Depending on where you’ll be, you may
need additional vaccines.
Many vaccine preventable diseases are only a plane ride away. For example, measles is not very common
in the U. S. because most people are protected through vaccination. However, since measles is still
common in parts of the world, the disease is brought into the U. S. by people who get infected while they are
abroad. This year the U. S. is having more reported cases of measles than usual due largely to an
explosive outbreak occurring in the Philippines. Most of these people were not vaccinated or did not know
their vaccination status
Influenza (Flu) Vaccine

The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season. Flu vaccine is recommended for
everyone age 6 months and older.

While everyone should get vaccinated, certain people are at greater risk for serious complications if they get
the flu: older people, young children, pregnant women, people with certain health conditions such as
asthma, diabetes or heart disease, and people living in facilities like nursing homes.

It’s also important for anyone who lives with or cares for people at high risk for developing flu-related
complications to get vaccinated each year.

Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Annual flu vaccination should begin by September or as
soon as vaccine is available, and continue throughout the flu season. Flu season can begin as early as
October and can last as late as May. Seasonal flu activity usually peaks in January, February or later.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop for protection against influenza virus
infection. Flu vaccines will not protect against flu-like illnesses caused by non-influenza viruses.

Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration and
worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes.
•
A 2013 study by CDC flu experts estimated that cumulatively over six flu seasons, from 2005 to 2011, flu
vaccination averted approximately 13.6 million illnesses, 5.8 million medical visits, and approximately
112,900 flu-related hospitalizations in the U. S.
Tetanus and Tdap Vaccine

One dose of Tdap vaccine is recommended for adults age 19 and older who never received the shot as an
adolescent to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).

Tdap vaccine is especially important for adults who will have close contact with newborn babies or infants
younger than 1 year.
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
Pregnant women are also recommended to get the Tdap vaccination during each pregnancy, preferably at
27 through 36 weeks, to help protect their newborns from whooping cough.
•

Tdap vaccine can be safely given at any time during pregnancy, but is recommended during the
third trimester to pass the most amount of protection to the baby.
Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis are all caused by bacteria.
•
•
Both diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person.
Tetanus enters the body through cuts, scratches, or wounds.
•
More than 48,000 cases of whooping cough were reported during 2012, a nearly 60-year high. While overall
reporting of whooping cough declined during 2013, 13 states and Washington, D.C. reported an increase in
cases compared with the same time during 2012.
•
CDC’s current estimate is that Tdap vaccination protects about 65 out of 100 adolescents who receive it.
•
Tdap is an effective vaccine, but it does not protect as well as we would like and may only protect against
whooping cough for a few years.
•
Adults who haven’t had a Tdap shot yet should talk to their doctor about getting it as soon as possible, no
matter when they last got a tetanus (Td) booster.
•
After receiving the Tdap shot, adults should continue to get a Td booster every 10 years.
•
Adults need to get Tdap even if they were vaccinated as a child or have been sick with whooping cough in
the past; neither provides lifelong protection.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine

HPV vaccine is recommended for routine vaccination of females and males at age 11to 12 years.
Vaccination is also recommended for females 13 to 26 years of age and for males 13 to 21 years of age, if
not previously vaccinated. Males aged 22 to 26 years may be vaccinated.

HPV2 (Cervarix) or HPV4 (Gardasil) is recommended for females; HPV4 (Gardasil) is recommended for
males.

The series of quadrivalent HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for boys at 11 or 12 years for prevention
of anal cancer and genital warts.

The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is also recommended for gay and bisexual men (or any man who has sex
with men) and men with compromised immune systems (including HIV) through age 26, if they did not get
fully vaccinated when they were younger.

HPV is a common virus that is primarily spread through sexual contact.
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
Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. There
are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can
also infect the mouth and throat. Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it.

About 14 million people become infected with HPV each year.

Recent studies found a significant 56% reduction in prevalence of HPV vaccine types seen among females
aged 14-19 years

HPV vaccine does not treat existing infection or disease.

Prior infection with one HPV type did not lessen the effectiveness of the vaccine against other vaccine HPV
types.

There are two vaccines licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by CDC to
protect against HPV-related illness; these vaccines are Cervarix® (made by GlaxoSmithKline) and
Gardasil® (made by Merck).
•
Both vaccines are very effective against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause most cervical cancers,
so both vaccines prevent cervical cancer in women.
•
Only Gardasil protects against HPV types 6 and 11–the types that cause most genital warts in
females and males.
•
Only Gardasil has been tested and shown to protect against cancers of the vulva, vagina, and
anus.
•
Only Gardasil has been tested and licensed for use in males.
Meningococcal Vaccine

College students, especially first-year students who will be living in residence halls, are at a slightly
increased risk for meningococcal disease compared with others of the same age.

Many states have adopted legislation requiring colleges to provide information on risks of meningococcal
disease to incoming students and students residing on campus, and some have mandated vaccination for
certain students, unless a vaccination waiver is provided.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has issued the following recommendations
regarding the use of vaccines for college students:
•
College freshmen living in dorms are recommended to be vaccinated with meningococcal
conjugate vaccine. If they receive this vaccine before their 16th birthday, they should get a booster
dose before going to college for maximum protection.
•
Colleges who have requirements for vaccination of new students entering the college should
consider a vaccine received within five years before entering the college as valid.
•
Among college students who are not freshman, the risk of getting meningococcal disease, which
can lead to meningitis, is similar to the risk for the general population. However, the vaccine is safe
and effective and therefore can be provided to non-freshmen.
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