August has been National Immunization Awareness Month, including in Nevada County. The county’s immunization coordinator, Laura Zieman, says two vaccinations are recommended for teens that aren’t required by schools. That includes for a rare, but serious form of meningitis….

Zieman says there’s also a vaccine available that protects young people from HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection. Both immunizations can be administered as early as 11 years old. As for older adults, Hepatitis A is becoming increasingly common…

Also high on the list for adults 50 and older is the shingles vaccine. It can cause a painful rash. It’s the same virus that causes chickenpox.