CDC recommends 3 new vaccines for schoolchildren

Target: meningitis, whooping cough, cervical cancer

The vaccines help protect against whooping cough and meningitis in boys and girls and cervical cancer in girls. They cost about $485 and require four additional shots.

Although the new vaccines aren't mandatory for school attendance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend they be given to 11- and 12-year-olds.

State law requires students entering kindergarten, fifth and ninth grades to get physical exams by Oct. 15 and show they are up-to-date on their vaccines. Students not in compliance can be kept out of school.

Students must be immunized against diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis and chicken pox.

These vaccines are recommended, but not required:

•   Whooping cough booster. Kids typically get five whooping cough shots by age 6, but immunity wears off after five or 10 years. There have been several recent outbreaks in the Chicago area. Whooping cough lasts weeks to months and can develop into pneumonia.

Since the booster is combined with the diphtheria and tetanus shot, it does not require an additional shot. Cost: $36.

•   Meningitis. This vaccine protects against meningococcal disease, a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis. The disease is rare but serious. About 10 percent of teens who get it die, and another 15 percent are disabled. Requires one additional shot. Cost: $89.

•   Cervical cancer. The vaccine protects against HPV virus, which can cause some types of cervical cancer and genital warts. Total cost for three shots: $360.

Health insurance plans typically cover the mandatory vaccines and are beginning to also pay for the new recommended vaccines.

Medicaid also covers vaccines, and other assistance is available to people who lack insurance. For details, call the City of Chicago, 311, or the Illinois Public Health Department, (800) 526-4372.

Parents can opt out of vaccines on religious grounds, which must be spelled out in a signed statement.