Recommended Vaccines for a 5-Year-Old Child
A 5-year-old child needs the DTaP (5th dose), IPV (4th dose), MMR (2nd dose), and Varicella (2nd dose) vaccines, which are all recommended to be administered at age 4-6 years according to the CDC immunization schedule. 1
Core Vaccines Required at Age 5
DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis)
- The 5th and final dose of DTaP should be administered between ages 4-6 years 2
- This completes the 5-dose series that began in infancy (previous doses at 2,4,6, and 15-18 months)
- The 5th dose is critical for maintaining immunity against pertussis, which wanes over time 2
- Minimum interval required: at least 6 months after the 4th dose 2
IPV (Inactivated Poliovirus)
- The 4th and final dose of IPV should be administered between ages 4-6 years 2
- This completes the 4-dose series that began in infancy (previous doses at 2,4, and 6-18 months)
- Minimum interval required: at least 6 months after the 3rd dose 2
MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
- The 2nd dose of MMR should be administered between ages 4-6 years 2
- This completes the 2-dose series (first dose given at 12-15 months)
- The second dose provides 96% effectiveness against measles compared to 95% after one dose 3
- Minimum interval required: at least 4 weeks after the first dose 1
Varicella (Chickenpox)
- The 2nd dose of varicella vaccine should be administered between ages 4-6 years 2
- This completes the 2-dose series (first dose given at 12-15 months)
- Two doses provide 95% effectiveness against varicella of any severity 3
- Minimum interval required: at least 3 months after the first dose for children under 13 years 1
Combination Vaccine Option
A combination vaccine can reduce the number of injections needed:
- DTaP-IPV (Kinrix) can be used as the 5th dose of DTaP and 4th dose of IPV 2
- This reduces the number of injections from 4 to 3
- Studies show that DTaP-IPV has comparable safety and immunogenicity to separately administered DTaP and IPV vaccines 2, 4
- Can be safely co-administered with MMR and varicella vaccines 4
Administration Considerations
- All vaccines can be administered during the same visit at different injection sites 1
- Administering vaccines simultaneously results in comparable immune responses and does not increase adverse reactions 1
- Common side effects include:
- Local pain at injection site (most common)
- Fever (less common)
- Extensive local reactions occur in approximately 1.2% of DTaP recipients 5
Important Precautions
- Verify the child's vaccination history to ensure proper timing of doses
- For children with incomplete vaccination histories, follow catch-up schedules 2
- Live vaccines (MMR, varicella) should not be given to severely immunocompromised children 1
- Have epinephrine available in case of rare anaphylactic reactions 6
- Parents should be informed about potential local reactions, which are more common with booster doses than with primary immunization 5
Documentation
- Record all administered vaccines, including lot numbers and administration sites 1
- Provide parents with updated immunization records and information about potential side effects