Adolescents require booster shots to protect them from meningococcal meningitis, a life-threatening infection of the tissue around the brain, while all children should have up to date whooping cough vaccines in line of the recent outbreaks. This is according to new recommendations given by pediatric experts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics releases updated guidelines for vaccinations every year. Its new issue released on Feb.1 in the journal Pediatrics, is very similar to their recommendations from last year.

However, even without major changes, pediatricians said the new issue is a good chance to remind parents to check that their children’s vaccines are up to date.

Immunizations have been the most efficient medical preventive measure ever developed. But right now, some people living in United States do not appreciate how protected  they have been because of vaccines, informed Dr. Michael Brady, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on infectious disease.

He added that there are still children all over the world that are dying from polio and measles. The schedules of vaccination are designed to get vaccines to the child before they are at risk.

This year’s recommendations include that all children aged 6 months to 18 should get an annual flu shot. Children aged 6 months to 8 years who only had one dose of a previous flu vaccine need two doses of the 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine.

Children who didn’t get their pneumococcal vaccinations on time, and are age 5 or under, should get vaccinated with a newer formulation of the vaccine called Prevnar.

All of these and many other recommendations are listed on the AAP guidelines, which were approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.