Middle School Immunity

This transition is easier than others, too, as only one shot is needed before the first day.

Required To Enter

7TH GRADE: TDAP (Tetanusdiphtheriaacellular pertussis)

Shut Down Sharing

The same old colds, streps and infections will keep coming around in middle school, but a few new varieties may crop up at this age thanks to P.E. class and puberty. All those lessons about sharing is caring? Tell your middle-schooler to forget it, at least when it pertains to personal items and locker room necessities. Besides food or drinks, students should not share lip balms, makeup, razors, shaving creams or lotions to avoid skin infections like MRSA and herpes. These can also spread on ear buds, locker room towels, sports uniforms, helmets and gloves.

GARDASIL: NOT JUST FOR GIRLS

It’s not fun for parents to think about, but this is the age when sexually transmitted infections become part of your child’s health equation. Young people ages 15 to 24 represent 50 percent of new cases of the human papillomavirus (HPV) each year. It can lead to genital warts and, in girls, even cervical cancer.

Gardasil, the HPV vaccination, is recommended for girls and boys ages 11 through 26 who have not been exposed to the human papillomavirus. Gardasil protects against 90 percent of genital warts cases, 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 70 percent of vaginal cancer cases.

The CDC recommends vaccinating boys and girls between ages 11 and 12 before exposure to HPV, but anyone 13 through 26 who has not yet been vaccinated or exposed should also ask their doctors if Gardasil is a good choice for them.

PESKY BIRDS, STUPID BEES

We know having The Talk with your son or daughter sounds as pleasant as pulling out your hair, but the time has come. (While middle school might seem a bit early, we say the sooner the better. You can bet that if you don’t talk to them about sex and their changing body, they’ll get info—likely wrong info—from their friends or the Internet.) If teens can’t be trusted to wash their hands, matters of STDs and STIs should not be left to chance. Impress upon your middle-schooler the dangers of unsafe sex, and talk frankly about their options for protection.