04/16/2026
Recent high school graduates may want to make an appointment with their healthcare provider to make sure they are up to date on all of the recommended vaccines. Students will be introduced to many new people, places and experiences as they start their next phase of life. Further, they may be coming into contact with people from countries where vaccine-preventable diseases are more common, or they may travel to other parts of the world to learn or perform services. Documented outbreaks of infectious diseases on college campuses have occurred following international travel.
While colleges will likely require certain vaccines, some that are not required may still be of benefit. Consider the following regardless of whether or not they are required:
Meningococcal vaccine — Particularly if your college student will be staying on campus in a dorm, they should get two different meningococcal vaccines if they did not get them previously. One protects against four types of meningococcus (A, C, W, and Y), and a second one protects against
meningococcus B. Studies have shown that college students are at particular risk of contracting meningococcal meningitis.
Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine (Tdap) — Your teen may need a booster dose; the dose can be with either Tdap or Td.
Human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine — If your teen has not had the recommended doses of HPV vaccine to protect against cervical and other cancers and ge***al warts, it should be considered. For teens starting the vaccine at age 15 years and older, three doses of HPV vaccine are recommended. If the vaccine series was started before 15 years of age, only two doses are needed.
Your teen may also need to catch up on other vaccines, including COVID-19, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines.
All information provided by The Vaccine Education Center — www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center
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