Available Vaccines

In the United States, children routinely get fourteen vaccines.

These vaccines protect them against seventeen vaccine preventable diseases, including COVID-19, diphtheria, chicken pox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Hib, HPV, influenza, measles, meningococcal disease,  mumps, pertussis, pneumococcal disease, polio,  rotavirus, rubella, and tetanus.

Available Routine Vaccines

These 14 routine childhood vaccines include:

1. chicken pox vaccine (Varivax) – 2 doses
2. COVID-19 vaccine – 3 doses
3. DTaP vaccines (Daptacel or Infanrix) – 5 doses
4. hepatitis A vaccines (Havrix or Vaqta) – 2 doses
5. hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix-B or Recombivax HB) – 3 doses
6. Hib vaccine (ActHIB, PedvaxHIB, Hiberix) – 3 or 4 doses
7. HPV vaccines (Cervarix or Gardasil) – 2 doses
8. Influenza – a yearly flu shot
9. MMR – 2 doses (MMR II or Priorix)
10. Meningococcal vaccines (Menactra or Menveo) – 2 doses
11. Pneumococcal vaccines (Pneumo15 or Prevnar 20) – 4 doses/
12. Polio vaccine – 4 doses
13. Rotavirus vaccines (Rotarix or RotaTeq) – 2 to 3 doses
14. Tdap booster (Adacel, Boostrix) – 1 dose

Another vaccine or meningococcal B disease (Bexsero or  Trumenba), which is given as 2 or 3 doses to older teens, is not exactly routine yet. It has a “permissive” recommendation in that parents are told they can get it if they want their kids to avoid menB infections, but it is not required yet.

MenHibrix is yet another vaccine, a combination between Hib Meningococcal Groups C and Y, but it is only given to high risk kids.

Available Combination Vaccines

The availability of combination vaccines also means that your child doesn’t necessarily need to get as many shots as you see doses. For example, Pediarix combines the three vaccines, DTaP-IPV-HepB, into a single shot. Given three times, when your infant is two, four, and six months, that means that instead of nine shots, your child only gets three.

Other combination vaccines include:

• Vaxelis – DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB
• Pentacel – DTaP-IPV-Hib
• Kinrix – DTaP-IPV
• Quadracel – DTaP-IPV
• ProQuad – MMR-Varivax
• Penbraya – combines meningococcal serogroups A, B, C, W and Y

Using combination vaccines, your fully vaccinated and protected child might only get 18 shots by the time they start kindergarten, not counting yearly flu shots.

Other Vaccines

In addition to the 14 routine vaccines that children get, other available vaccines that might be given in special situations include the:

• Adenovirus vaccine – only given to enlisted soldiers during basic training
• Anthrax vaccine – high risk people only
• BCG vaccine vaccine – high risk people only
• Chikungunya vaccine – high risk of exposure
• Cholera vaccine – recently approved in the United States as a travel vaccine
• Dengue vaccine – for children living in endemic areas
• Ebola – for high risk adults
• Hepatitis E – not available in the United States
• Japanese encephalitis vaccine – a travel vaccine
• Meningococcal vaccine (MenC)
• Monkeypox – for high risk adults
• Plague vaccine – no longer available
• Pneumovax 23 – another pneumococcal vaccine for high risk children and adults
• Rabies vaccine – high risk people only
• RSV vaccine – seniors and pregnant mothers
• Shingles vaccine – seniors only
• Smallpox vaccine – high risk people only
• Tick-borne encephalitis – for high risk travelers
• Typhoid fever vaccine – a travel vaccine
• Typhus vaccine – no longer available
• Yellow fever vaccine – a travel vaccine

That there are so many available vaccines that are not routinely given to kids should dispel the myth that pediatricians are simply vaccine pushers. After all, why don’t they push these vaccines then?

For More Information On Vaccines:

• Vaccine Requirements for College Entry
• Vaccine Schedule for Teens
• Immunization Requirements to Start School and Daycare
• Your Baby’s First Vaccines
• ACIP Passes “Permissive” Recommendation for MenB Vaccine for Young Adults
• Ask the Experts about Combination Vaccines–DTaP-Hib-IPV-HepB 
• FDA – Vaccines Licensed for Use in the United States
• CDC – List of Vaccines Used in United States
• WHO – Vaccines List
• Typhus, War, and Vaccines

Last Updated on July 3, 2024