Adolescent Immunization Schedule: Need for a Relook

Abstract

Adolescent immunization is one of the important yet a neglected field in India. There is no adolescent-specific schedule in the government’s Universal Immunization Program. Though a separate adolescent immunization schedule exists for the private sector, there is almost no data on the coverage rates of the adolescent vaccines. With the changing epidemiology of certain vaccine preventable diseases, rapid development in the field of vaccinology and the advent of some new vaccines, there is a need to revisit the adolescent vaccination schedule. Common vaccine preventable diseases like dengue, mumps, hepatitis A and typhoid should be given higher priority whereas an alternate strategy should be adopted on the use of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.