The CDC has released its 2007 recommended vaccination schedule for kids 0-18 years old.
The schedule includes two new vaccines and tweaks to recommended flu and chickenpox vaccination.
One of the two new vaccines targets certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The CDC recommends routine HPV vaccination for girls 11-12 years old. Girls can get the vaccine when they're as young as 9 years old.
Girls 13-26 years old can catch up on HPV vaccination if they've never gotten the vaccine or missed earlier doses, the CDC notes.
The HPV vaccine, approved by the FDA last year, is thought to be most effective if given before girls become sexually active, since HPV is sexually transmitted.
The HPV vaccine comes in three doses. The second and third doses are to be given two and six months, respectively, after the first dose.
The other new vaccine on the immunization schedule targets rotavirus, a virus that causes diarrhea.
The CDC recommends that kids get the rotavirus vaccine in three doses, with one dose given when they're 2, 4, and 6 months old.
The CDC also recommends yearly flu vaccination for all children 6-59 months old, as well as a second dose of the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine when kids are 4-6 years old.
Kids should get their first chickenpox vaccine dose when they're 12-15 months old, says the CDC.
The CDC's 2007 immunization schedule for children appears in the Jan. 5 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
If your child has missed vaccines or you have questions about vaccines for children, talk to your child's doctor.
By Miranda Hitti, reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
SOURCES: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Jan. 5, 2007; vol 55: pp Q-1 to Q-4. News release, CDC.
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