New, and some not-so-new, vaccines for adolescents and diseases they prevent

Adolescents in the United States now have the opportunity to receive new vaccines that prevent invasive meningococcal infections, pertussis (whooping cough), and cervical cancer. Except for their potential to cause serious illness, these infections could not be more different. Their incidence ranges from extremely low to quite high. Early clinical manifestations of infection range from none to life-threatening illness. Two of the vaccines are similar to those already in use, whereas 1 is completely new. In conjunction with the 4 vaccines previously recommended for adolescents (the tetanus and diphtheria booster, hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella, and varicella), the 3 new vaccines (meningococcal, human papillomavirus, and the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster [which replaced the tetanus-diphtheria booster]) bring the number recommended for adolescents to 6. In this article, we describe key characteristics of the 3 new vaccines and infections they were designed to prevent. We also briefly discuss other vaccines recommended for all adolescents who have not already received them and new vaccines that are still under development.