About
The Howard County Health Department encourages all parents to talk to their child's healthcare provider about ensuring their children are protected against vaccine preventable diseases.
Childhood vaccinations are extremely effective. On the global level, 40% of the reduction in childhood deaths over the past fifty years can be attributed to vaccines, representing 154 million deaths averted worldwide thanks to immunizations (Source: The Lancet).
The Health Department follows the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Immunization Schedule.
The Health Department offers vaccines for eligible children through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Call 410-313-7500 for more information or to make an appointment.
Find resources here to help make sure your kids (birth through 18) stay on the recommended track to help keep them safe and healthy.
What Immunizations Does My Child Need For School?
Updated immunization requirements for the 2025-26 academic year are now available:
- The immunizations most often missing in this age group are the 4th DTaP and 2nd MMR and Varicella shots, all due at age 4.
- Check your child’s immunization record or contact your pediatrician to ensure that these are completed before the start of school.
- All 7th Grade students in Maryland need to get a Tdap and MCV4 shot before the start of the school year.
- Contact your child’s pediatrician or check above for a listing of free vaccination clinics offered by the Howard County Health Department.
- Click here to learn more:
- If you are worried your child might be missing required immunizations for school, contact your pediatrician to review your child’s immunization record.
- If you do not currently have a pediatrician and have specific questions about immunization, contact: askhealth@howardcountymd.gov.
Childhood Immunization Information
We understand that parents want the very best for their children, and when it comes to vaccines, safety is our highest priority.
Pediatricians follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule to help keep children healthy as they grow. This schedule provides the most up-to-date, trusted guidance on when children and teens should receive each vaccine. All vaccines included in the schedule are thoroughly studied and licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure they are safe and effective.
Choosing to vaccinate is one of the most important steps you can take to keep your child healthy and our community strong.
For more information on vaccine safety and benefits, please visit the following recommended resources:
- HealthyChildren.org: Vaccine Safety: features information for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Vaccine Education Center: an educational resource on vaccines from a national leader in children’s health
- KidsHealth: Immunizations: features physician-reviewed educational resources for parents
- VaccineInformation.org: a website for the general public curated by experts at Immunize.org, featuring testimonies, videos, and educational resources about vaccines and the diseases they prevent
- Voices for Vaccines: a parent-lead organization that provides fact-based content to help families make informed decisions about immunizations
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program is a Federal program that provides vaccines to kids who might not have other access due to cost. Since 1994, when the program was established following a measles outbreak, the CDC credits the VFC program with the following successes:
- 508 million cases of illness prevented
- 32 million hospitalizations avoided
- 1,129,000 deaths averted
- direct savings of $540 billion and societal savings of $2.7 trillion
Howard County Health Department offers immunizations through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program to eligible children through 18 years of age who meet the following criteria:
- No Health Insurance
- Medical Assistance
- Health Insurance that doesn’t cover vaccines
Private health insurance is not accepted at this time. Children with private health insurance should schedule immunization appointments with their primary care provider.
Call 410-313-7500 for more information and to make an appointment.
You MUST bring the child's immunization record. A parent or guardian must accompany the children to the clinic appointment.
The number of vaccines children receive can feel overwhelming, but each one plays a vital role in protecting your child from serious diseases. In fact, even though we vaccinate children against more childhood diseases than ever before, vaccine science has improved so much that the total amount of antigen (a substance that triggers an immune response) in the entire vaccine schedule has decreased: Why delayed vaccination schedules can be harmful to children | UNICEF
Pediatricians follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule to help keep children healthy as they grow. This schedule provides the most up-to-date, trusted guidance on when children and teens should receive each vaccine. All vaccines included in the schedule are thoroughly studied and licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure they are safe and effective.
The vaccine schedule is carefully designed by medical experts to provide protection at the right time, and children's immune systems are more than capable of handling multiple vaccines safely. Every dose is an important step toward keeping your child healthy and protected.
- DTaP/Tdap protects against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus (lockjaw).
- IPV protects against polio (can cause paralysis of the arms and legs).
- MMR protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
- HEPATITIS B and HEPATITIS A protects against Hepatitis B or Hepatitis A which can cause liver damage.
- VARIVAX protects against chickenpox.
- HIB protects against Haemphilus Influenza B which causes brain infections and brain damage.
- PREVNAR(PCV13) protects against respiratory and ear infections, as well as pneumonia.
- ROTAVIRUS protects your baby from severe diarrhea.
- MCV4/MenACWY and MenB protect against meningitis (infection of the central nervous system).
- RSV protects against respiratory syncytial virus, which is a respiratory virus that can cause severe illness in infants.
Pediatricians follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule to help keep children healthy as they grow. This schedule provides the most up-to-date, trusted guidance on when children and teens should receive each vaccine. All vaccines included in the schedule are thoroughly studied and licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure they are safe and effective.
It is recommended that pre-teens get several vaccines at their 11 or 12 year old check-up.
- Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap)
- Meningococcal (meningitis) conjugate vaccine (MCV4)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardisil 9 (Available to boys and girls)
- Menigococcal B
These vaccines prevent serious, sometimes life-threatening diseases. Immunity from some childhood vaccines can decrease over time, so people need to get another dose of the vaccine during their pre-teen years. Also, as children move into adolescence, they are at greater risk of catching certain diseases, like meningitis and HPV. If your child did not get these vaccines at age 11 or 12, schedule an appointment to get them now.
Maryland MyIR is a free website service that allows consumers to view and print copies of their official vaccination records directly from ImmuNet, Maryland's immunization information system. ImmuNet is used by healthcare providers to securely maintain vaccination records for Maryland residents of all ages.
Go to MyIR Mobile to get started.
For assistance using the portal, contact the ImmuNet Help Desk at 410-767-6606.
- American Academy of Pediatrics Child and Adolescent Vaccination Schedule
- Vaccine Education Center (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)