Immunization Schedule

This is a general guideline to vaccine administration at Sewickley Valley Pediatrics, following the current American Academy of Pediatrics / Center for Disease Control recommended schedules.

Birth - Hepatitis B vaccine # 1 (unless child is born at AGH or at home then this will be given at the initial weight check visit in our office)

1 month visit - Hepatitis B vaccine # 1 if NOT given at birth or weight check visit or Hepatitis B # 2

2 month visit - Dtap, Hep B # 2 (if # 1 received at 1 month visit), IPV, Hib, Pneumoccoal vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine (Dtap, HIB, IPV are combined into one vaccine; Rotavirus vaccine is an oral vaccine)

4 month visit - same as 2 month

6 month visit - Dtap, IPV, Hib # 3, Pneumococcal # 3, Rotavirus, Flu vaccine (in season)

9 month visit - Hep B # 3

12 month visit - MMR # 1, Varivax (chicken pox) # 1, Hep A # 1

15 month visit - Pneumococcal # 4, Hib # 4

18 month visit - DtaP # 4, Hep A (# 2 or # 1 if not received at 12 month visit)

2 year visit - Hep A # 2 if Dose # 1 received at 18 months

4 year visit - MMR # 2, Varivax # 2

5 year visit - Dtap # 5, IPV # 4

11 years and above -

Gardasil - recommended for ages 11 years and above. Series of 3 injections - 1st dose given, followed by # 2 two months later and then the 3rd dose administered 6 months after the first dose.

Tdap - Tetanus & pertussis booster for all 11-12 year olds + any patient who hasn’t had a tetanus vaccine in the past 5 years.

Menactra - meningococcal vaccine - 11 years and 16 years; must be given prior to college

**Again, these are general guidelines for our vaccine schedule. Doses may be delayed due to illnesses, scheduling, & vaccine availability. There are times when the manufacturer is in short supply of the vaccine. At these times, your child’s vaccination may be delayed until we receive a current shipment. Please know that we will work hard to get your child caught up and up to date as quickly as possible, within the established guidelines of vaccine administration.

**Many parents have concerns about vaccines. Please ask us questions - we can help sort out myths and false information.

**Flu vaccine is recommended for all patients age 6 months and above:

CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE - WHY IS IT LIKE THAT? (from the American Academy of Pediatrics)

Each year top disease experts and doctors who care for children work together to decide what to recommend that will best protect US children from diseases. The schedule is evaluated each year based on the most recent scientific data available. Charges are announced in January, if needed. The schedule is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Each vaccine dose is scheduled using 2 factors. First, it is scheduled for the age when the body’s immune system will work the best. Second, it is balanced with the need to provide protection to infants and children at the earliest possible age.

Researchers are always studying how well vaccines work. For many vaccines three or four doses are needed to fully protect your child. The doses need to be spaced out a certain amount to work the best.

The schedule is considered the ideal schedule for healthy children but there may be exceptions. For example, your child might not receive certain vaccines if she has allergies to an ingredient in the vaccine, or if she has a weakened immune system due to illness, a chronic condition, or another medical treatment. Sometimes a shot needs to be delayed for a short time, and sometimes not given at all. We stay updated about new exceptions to the immunization schedule. This is one reason your child’s complete medical history is taken at our office and why it is important for you to share that information with us.

Why can’t the shots be spread out over a longer period of time? First, we do not want children to go unprotected that long. Babies are hospitalized and die more often from some diseases, so it is important to vaccinate them as soon as it is safe. The recommended schedule is designed to work best with a child’s immune system at certain ages and at specific times. There is no research to show that a child would be equally protected against diseases with a very different schedule. There is no scientific reason why spreading out the shots would be safer. But we do know that any length of time without immunizations is a time without protection.The reason we recommend vaccines when we do is because young children are more vulnerable to these diseases.

Some people think it’s overwhelming to a child’s immune system to give so many shots in one visit. The fact is that infants and children are exposed to many germs every day just by playing, eating, and breathing. Their immune systems fight those germs, also called antigens, to keep the body healthy. The amount of antigens that children fight every day (2,000-6,000) is much more than the antigens in any combination of vaccines on the current schedule (150 for the whole schedule). So children’s immune systems are not overwhelmed by vaccines.