You might be surprised to learn that it’s not just babies and young children who require immunizations. Preteens and high school students do, too. This is because, as your child gets older, some of the vaccines from childhood diminish in strength and aren’t as effective anymore.

Your child may also have missed getting booster shots, without which he or she is only partially immune to diseases. And after years of diminishing incidences in the United States, contagious diseases like measles, mumps, and whooping cough are becoming more prevalent. These diseases can be especially contagious in close quarters, such as in schools and on college campuses. These are all good reasons to make sure your child doesn’t miss these important immunizations.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that 11- and 12-year-olds receive meningococcal and Tdap (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis or whooping cough) vaccines. And girls at the same age should receive the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV).

If your teen missed shots at the suggested ages, he or she should have a catch-up. The CDC also recommends that teenagers receive vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); hepatitis B; varicella (chickenpox), if he or she hasn’t had the disease; and polio.