Teenagers: Sports physicals and immunizations

The physicians, nurses, and support staff of Sandpoint offer a sports physical clinic twice a year for the athletes of our community. 

The clinic is an excellent, inexpensive way to meet the state requirements for a physical exam to play any school-sponsored sport in middle school or high school.

The state of Idaho requires a physical exam at seventh grade, ninth grade, and eleventh grade.  The sports physical clinic meets this requirement by examining all athletes, checking blood pressure, height and weight, and reviewing immunizations.

The athletes best suited to have their exams done in this clinic should not have any chronic diseases such as diabetes, severe asthma, or any other disease best managed by their own personal physician, who can also fill out their sports participation form. 

Many parents are unaware of the need for immunizations for their teenagers.

Over the years there has been an ability to decrease many life threatening illnesses by routine immunizations, and this is also true for the adolescent population. A brief review of the shots available for teens follows.

A combination vaccine covering tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) is routinely given to all babies and at kindergarten age. 

There is now a very effective booster shot for these diseases recommended for all children age 11-12 and older, called TdaP (pronounced “tee-dap”).  All teens who have not received a TdaP should be given this booster, which is good for 10 years. 

Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain, which causes brain damage and death.

A vaccine against the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis is available for teens and is a one-time shot for all those over 11 years old. 

Hepatitis A vaccines are now routinely given to young children to prevent a viral infection of the liver caught from contaminated food or water.  Teenagers missed this vaccine and should receive the series of 2 shots spaced 6 months apart, which will give lasting immunity.

All children need 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and varicella (chicken pox).  If these were not given during early childhood, they should be given during the teen years. 

And the Gardasil vaccine against human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer and genital warts, has now been approved for both boys and girls in the teen years.  This is a series of three vaccines given over 6 months with lasting immunity.

All teenagers attending the sports physical clinics should bring their immunization records with them.  We will have all these vaccines available that evening. 

The clinics will be held Wednesday, May 26, 6-9 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 4, 6-9 p.m. at the Family Health Center in the Pinegrove Medical Building, 606 N. Third Ave., Suite 101, Sandpoint.

 The cost is $10 per athlete, and all money collected is donated to the athletic department for medical supplies.

n Dr. Joyce Gilbert, M.D. is a medical staff member at Bonner General Hospital.