Keeping Up to Date on Recommended Childhood Vaccinations

This Page is for:

Parents and Caregivers
Healthcare Providers
Partners

Parents and Caregivers

Girl and boy holding a soccer ball playing outside

Keeping up to date with vaccines is one of the best things you can do to help protect your child from serious diseases. Routine childhood vaccination in the United States has been very successful in preventing illness and death. Serious diseases such as diphtheria, mumps, and rubella, once common at young ages, are now practically unheard of. Let’s keep it that way.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends children keep up to date on their childhood vaccinations and well-child visits. This helps children stay healthy for school, childcare, and beyond. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider.

Diseases and the Vaccines that Prevent Them

Thanks to vaccines, your child has protection against

Chickenpox is a contagious viral infection that causes fever, headache, and an itchy, blistering rash; spread through air and direct contact. Can cause infected sores, brain swelling, infection of the lungs (pneumonia), and can be life-threatening, especially in babies, adolescents, adults, people who are pregnant, and people with weakened immune systems.

COVID-19 is a contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, or lungs; may feel like a cold or flu. Spread through air and direct contact. Can cause infection of the lungs (pneumonia); blood clots; liver, heart, or kidney damage; Long COVID, and can be life-threatening.

Diphtheria is a contagious bacterial infection of the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs; spread through droplets in the air and direct contact. Can cause thick coating in the back of the nose or throat making it hard to breath, swelling of the heart muscle, heart failure, coma, paralysis, and can be life-threatening.

Influenza (Flu) is a contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs; spread mostly through droplets in the air. Can cause infection of the lungs (pneumonia), sinus and ear infections, worsening of underlying conditions, and can be life-threatening.

Hepatitis A is a contagious viral infection of the liver; spread by contaminated food or drink or close contact with an infected person. Can cause liver failure and can be life-threatening. Children with the virus often don’t have symptoms, but they often pass the disease to others, including unvaccinated parents, caregivers, sibling, or older children. These individuals can get very sick, and symptoms can last up to 6 months.

Hepatitis B is a contagious viral infection of the liver; spread through contact with infected body fluids such as blood or semen. Can cause chronic liver infection, liver failure, liver cancer, and can be life-threatening.

Hib Disease is a contagious bacterial infection of the lungs, brain and spinal cord, or bloodstream; spread through droplets in the air and direct contact. Depends on the part of the body infected, but can cause brain damage, hearing loss, loss of arm or leg, and can be life-threatening. Babies and children younger than 5 years old are most at risk for Hib disease.

HPV (Human papillomavirus) is a contagious viral infection spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. Can cause genital warts and many types of cancers later in life, including cancers of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus, and throat.

Measles is a very contagious viral infection that causes high fever, rash, cough, red eyes, and runny nose; spread through air and direct contact. Can cause brain swelling, infection of the lungs (pneumonia), and can be life-threatening especially for young children and babies.

Meningococcal Disease is a contagious bacterial infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord or the bloodstream; spread through droplets in the air and direct contact. Can cause loss of arm or leg, deafness, seizures, and can be life-threatening.

Mumps is a contagious viral infection that causes fever, tiredness, swollen cheeks, and tender swollen jaw; spread through air and direct contact. Can cause brain swelling, painful and swollen testicles or ovaries, deafness, and in rare cases can be life-threatening.

Polio is a contagious viral infection of nerves and brain; spread through the mouth from stool on contaminated hands, food, or liquid, and by air and direct contact. Can cause paralysis and can be life-threatening.

Pneumococcal Disease is a bacterial infection of ears, sinuses, lungs, or bloodstream; spread through droplets in the air and direct contact. Depends on the part of the body infected but can cause infection of the lungs (pneumonia), blood poisoning, infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, deafness, brain damage, loss of arms or legs, and can be life-threatening.

Rotavirus is a contagious viral infection of the gut; spread through the mouth from hands and food contaminated with stool. Can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, dehydration, and can be life-threatening especially for young children and babies.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs; spread through direct contact and droplets in the air. Can cause infection of the lungs (pneumonia) and small airways of the lungs, which is especially dangerous for infants and young children.

Rubella is a contagious viral infection that causes low-grade fever, sore throat, and rash; spread through air and direct contact. Rubella is usually mild in children but is very dangerous for pregnant people; can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery, severe birth defects and can be life-threatening.

Tetanus (Lockjaw) is a bacterial infection of brain and nerves caused by spores commonly found in soil, dust, and manure; spores enter the body through wounds or broken skin. Can cause seizures, broken bones, difficulty breathing, and can be life-threatening.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is a contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airway; spread through droplets in the air and direct contact. Can cause infection of the lungs (pneumonia), seizures, brain damage, and can be life-threating especially for babies.

Recommended Vaccines for Children and Adolescents

Mother and daughter talking with a health care professional

Keeping children and adolescents up to date with vaccinations is the best way to help protect them from many serious diseases.

The vaccine schedule is developed to offer protection from diseases right on time. It’s best to vaccinate before your child is exposed to diseases to reduce the risk of serious disease complications.

View the schedules to see which vaccines CDC recommends for each age group and talk to your child’s healthcare provider.

Vaccine Schedule: Birth - 6 Years

Vaccine Schedule: 7 - 18 Years

Talking to your Child’s Healthcare Provider about Recommended Childhood Vaccines

Well-child visits and vaccinations are essential to keep children healthy. Children who don’t have protection from vaccines are more likely to get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases. These diseases can be very contagious and serious, especially for babies and young children. Start the vaccine conversation now.

Before you meet with your child’s healthcare provider:

Do your own research – gather information from credible sources (see resources below).
Write down any questions or concerns you may have.

Talking with your child’s healthcare provider is an opportunity to:

Get answers and information about vaccines from a provider you trust.
Ask questions and discuss any concerns about your child’s health.
Track growth and developmental milestones.

Resources for Parents and Caregivers

Find Free Vaccines for Your Child

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines to eligible children at no cost. This program provides free vaccines to children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured, or American Indian/Alaska Native. Read more on the program’s requirements, and talk to your child’s healthcare provider to see if they are a VFC provider. You can also find a VFC provider by calling your state or local health department or seeing if your state has a VFC website.

Healthcare Providers

Mother and son talking with a healthcare professional

In recent years, there have been outbreaks of some diseases that vaccines prevent. These events are happening across the country, and especially in communities with low vaccination rates. You can help. Use evidence-based strategies and resources to talk to parents and caregivers about keeping up to date on recommended vaccinations.

On-time immunization plays a vital role in protecting children and communities from serious diseases. As a trusted source of health information for parents and caregivers, your recommendation can help families make an informed decision and stay healthy.

Resources for Healthcare providers

For Partners

Together, we can protect children, families, and communities through recommended vaccines. Below are resources and vaccination messages you can use to share key information with your networks.

The “Keeps It That Way” communications effort is informed by feedback from parents of young children representative of the general public, including those living in rural areas. It aims to raise awareness about the risk of disease and invites parents to learn more about the diseases and the protection vaccines can provide to children’s health. This communication effort encourages parents and caregivers to talk to their child’s healthcare provider and keep their child up to date on all recommended vaccines.

Promotional Materials

Use these graphics and to help raise awareness about the risk of diseases and the protection vaccines can provide to children’s health.

Little boy on a plane looking over his seat