As summer draws to a close, everyone stocks up on back-to-school items. But parents should also ensure that their school-aged children are well supplied with life-saving vaccinations.

There are several new vaccines available this year to protect youngsters against disease and reduce the likelihood of future complications that could arise from childhood illnesses.

Children are safer in well-vaccinated communities, Dr. Jeffrey Stockman of Cape Ann Pediatricians said. Referring to widespread vaccination as "herd immunity," he said that when the adult population and older children are vaccinated, there is less likelihood that babies and small children will be exposed to contagious illnesses.

"The low incidence of side effects from vaccines is balanced by proven benefits," he said, "so it's important for us to be doing this for our kids."

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health agrees, and although private insurance covers most immunizations, the state has recently made a broader spectrum of vaccines available to the public, resulting in a higher participation rate for vaccination and better public health. Vaccines are also required for entry into school, so the end of summer is a good time to evaluate which vaccines your children need.

To better ward off a serious illness, the state has expanded its supply of meningococcal vaccine to cover younger adolescents, which will greatly reduce illness associated with this germ.

Meningococcal bacteria can cause sepsis (systemic infection) and meningitis (an infection and inflammation of the covering of the brain), and often strikes those living in communal environments such as dormitories, prisons and other institutions. The vaccination had previously targeted college-bounds teens, but now 11- to 12-year-olds will also benefit from the protection.

"This germ is a really nasty customer," Stockman said. "You can go to bed thinking you have the flu and not wake up the next morning." It is the only bacterial illness that has killed one of Stockman's patients, and he said even those who survive meningitis can become blind, deaf or suffer the loss of a limb.

"Even if (the disease) is identified early and treated properly," he said, "it can cause lasting effects."

The state is also offering the combination TDaP vaccine for everyone up to age 18. This booster protects against tetanus and diphtheria and also updates immunity against pertussis (whooping cough). Although initial vaccinations against pertussis are provided to children before they enter school, immunity may eventually wear off, so this very debilitating illness can still strike, especially in the 10- to 20-year-old age group

Dubbed the 100-day cough, pertussis can "take a good three months to clear," Stockman said.

"Once you catch it, even if you treat it with antibiotics, it damages your lungs, sometimes permanently in those with already compromised lungs."

Pertussis can be particularly devastating for babies, he continued, because they cough so much they can't eat or sleep, and must be sedated while they recover.

Although state-supplied TDaP vaccine is not available to people over age 18, adults can also contract pertussis and should speak to their medical providers about their risk for this illness. "This will make a major difference in preventing whooping cough," Stockman said.

There is also a new vaccine to prevent a strain of rotavirus, which can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea and fever. This illness often leads to dehydration, "a major cause of hospitalization in babies." A previous vaccine to prevent rotavirus was taken off the market because of certain side effects, but the new formulation has been retrofitted to avoid these problems. The vaccine is given to infants between 6 and 32 weeks old in the form of a drink.

Although most babies also receive a varicella (chicken pox) vaccine at 1 years old along with their measles, mumps and rubella shot (MMR), it has been found that a single chicken pox vaccine is not sufficient for lifelong protection. A booster vaccine is now given to 4- to 6-year-olds, along with the second dose of MMR. The supply of varicella vaccine has now increased so that catch-up doses can also be provided to 11- and 12-year-olds who have not yet received a second dose.

Although the current vaccination program has produced "a dramatic decline in chicken pox cases," Stockman says another dose is needed because patients can incur secondary infections from scratching chicken pox outbreaks, and these complications could involve antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, which are dangerous and hard to treat.

Prevention with the Varivax shot will protect both children and adults, since a childhood case of chicken pox can also cause skin and eye problems in adults later in life. The varicella virus remains in the system, and can eventually re-emerge as shingles, which are painful skin lesions that crop up on nerve routes. Older adults can also receive a vaccination against shingles, although this vaccine is not provided by state public health department

"The germ does not go away. What is dormant after childhood can come back," Stockman said, stressing prevention is the better course once again.

Another important addition to the prevention arsenal is the availability of a vaccine preventing human papilloma virus (HPV). As many as one in four sexually active women and men carry the HPV virus, which can cause genital warts, cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer. HPV infection causes few symptoms, so most people do not know they have it. It is usually revealed in abnormal pap smears after it has caused cervical dysplasia.

The new vaccine, Stockman said, will prevent both cervical dysplasia and cancer. It is recommended for 11- to 26-year-old women, and is ideally administered before they become sexually active. This shot does not treat cervical cancer, Stockman said, but prevents it before any possible exposure occurs. Although the HPV shot is not universally available through the state vaccine program, most insurance carriers cover it.

When given in a timely fashion, he said the new HPV vaccine "will be the biggest thing that has come down the pike in a long time."

"HPV is one of the few viruses that cause cancer that's vaccine-preventable," he said. "This could be the biggest woman's health breakthrough in this century."

Despite advancements in surgery and other high-tech medical techniques, Stockman feels that vaccines such as the HPV one are the real crusaders against disease.

"We all see heroic medical efforts on TV, but what really saves lives is vaccination," he said. "That's the single biggest thing I can do as a physician to prevent death and morbidity. In the long run, it makes the biggest difference."

For more information, contact your child's pediatrician or, if your child or adolescent needs vaccination updates and you are currently without a doctor or health insurance, call the Gloucester Health Department at 978-281-9771.

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This article is part of a regular health education column provided by the Gloucester Health Department and the Addison Gilbert Hospital.