When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
Vaccine Resources for Physicians
What to Talk About with Parents
Parents will have many questions about their children’s vaccines. Answering questions with confidence helps parents feel confident in choosing to immunize their child according to the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.
Remember, YOU are their most trusted source of information.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends an immunization schedule by age for children under 18 years old. At times, there may be more than one vaccine scheduled at your well visit. There is no evidence to suggest that receiving several at one time will overwhelm a healthy child’s immune system.
Remind parents that they must start each vaccine series on time to protect their child as soon as possible and their child must complete each multi-dose series for the best protection. There are no data to support that spacing out vaccines offers safe or effective protection from these diseases.
Any time you delay a vaccine, you leave your baby/child vulnerable to disease.
Remind parents that most side effects are mild and go away within a few days.
Reassure parents that you and your staff are prepared to deal with serious vaccine reactions.
Encourage parents to watch for possible side effects (fussiness, low-grade fever, soreness where the shot was given) and provide information on how they should treat them and how to contact you if they observe something they are concerned about.
Share your own experience, or lack thereof, of seeing a serious side effect from a vaccine. Explain that serious side effects are very rare.
Review the Vaccine Information Statements for the vaccines the child is receiving with the parents and discuss potential side effects.
Vaccines contain very small amounts of preservatives, adjuvants or enhancers, stabilizers, residual cell culture materials, residual inactivating ingredients, and residual antibiotics and they all play necessary roles either in making the vaccine or in ensuring that the final product is safe and effective.
Adjuvants or enhancers, such as aluminum salts, are used to help the body develop immunity and a better immune response.
Stabilizers, such as sugars and gelatin, are used to keep the vaccine potent during transportation and storage.
Residual cell culture materials, such as egg protein, are used to grow enough of the virus or bacteria to make the vaccine.
Residual inactivating ingredients, such as formaldehyde, are used during the production process to kill viruses or inactivate toxins during the manufacturing process.
Residual antibiotics, such as neomycin, are used during the vaccine manufacturing process to prevent contamination by bacteria.
Each ingredient plays an important role so it will protect your child.
For attendance in all grades in a Pennsylvania school, children need the following vaccines:
4 doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
4 doses of polio (4th dose on or after 4th birthday and at least 6 months after previous dose given)*
2 doses of measles, mumps, rubella
3 doses of hepatitis B
2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) or evidence of immunity
*A fourth dose is not necessary if the third dose was administered at age 4 years or older and at least 6 months after the previous dose.
If the child does not have at least one dose of the above vaccines on the first day of school, or a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, they may be denied admission into school.
If the child does not have all the doses listed above, needs additional doses, and the next dose is medically appropriate, the child must receive that dose within the first five days of school, they may be excluded from school risk exclusion.
For attendance in 7th grade in a Pennsylvania school, children need the following vaccines.
1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap)
1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)
If the child does not have the above vaccines on the first day of 7th grade, or a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, they may be denied admission into school.
For attendance in 12th grade in a Pennsylvania school, children need the following vaccines.
1 dose of MCV - If one dose was given at 16 years of age or older, that shall count as the 12th grade dose.
If the child does not have the above vaccines on the first day of 12th grade, or a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, they may be denied admission into school.
Adult patients may be unaware or misinformed about the need for vaccines beyond childhood. Your advice and recommendation are the strongest predictors of whether they get vaccinated.
Remember, YOU are their most trusted source of information.
Adults need vaccines for several reasons. For example:
Some vaccines are recommended only for adults, like shingles.
Protection from childhood vaccines wears off over time so you need additional doses of certain vaccines to stay protected.
For some diseases, like whooping cough, vaccinated adults can prevent the disease from spreading and protect children who are too young or unable to be vaccinated.
You may not have gotten some of the newer vaccines that are now available.
You may be at increased risk for diseases based on travel plans, your job, or health conditions.
Vaccines contain very small amounts of preservatives, adjuvants or enhancers, stabilizers, residual cell culture materials, residual inactivating ingredients, and residual antibiotics and they all play necessary roles either in making the vaccine or in ensuring that the final product is safe and effective.
Adjuvants or enhancers, such as aluminum salts, are used to help the body develop immunity and a better immune response.
Stabilizers, such as sugars and gelatin, are used to keep the vaccine potent during transportation and storage.
Residual cell culture materials, such as egg protein, are used to grow enough of the virus or bacteria to make the vaccine.
Residual inactivating ingredients, such as formaldehyde, are used during the production process to kill viruses or inactivate toxins during the manufacturing process.
Residual antibiotics, such as neomycin, are used during the vaccine manufacturing process to prevent contamination by bacteria.
Each ingredient plays an important role so it will protect you.
All adults should get a flu vaccine every year and be up-to-date with their Td/Tdap which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). After receiving an initial Td/Tdap dose, a booster is required every 10 years. Depending on age, health conditions, vaccine history, and other factors, you may need additional vaccines such as:
Chickenpox
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Meningococcal
Pneumococcal
Shingles
If you are traveling overseas, you may need additional vaccines. Please visit www.cdc.gov/travel for more information.
Getting recommended vaccines before or while you are pregnant helps protect both you and your baby from potentially serious diseases that can make you and your baby very sick.
During pregnancy you should be vaccinated against whooping cough, flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Depending on other risk factors and travel plans, other vaccines may be recommended during pregnancy.
Live virus vaccines, such as the MMR and chickenpox, should not be given during pregnancy.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this Q&A is based on source material that was pulled from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the PA Department of Health. It was verified for accuracy as of July 2025. Please note that medical knowledge and guidelines are constantly evolving, and it’s always best to consult directly with a healthcare professional for the most up-to-date advice.
