HPV Vaccination Rates Increased in Most States

A new study published by Pediatrics included 19.8 million person-years and found the proportion of 15-year-old girls and boys with at least a 1-dose Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination significantly increased over the past decade.

This study was published on September 14, 2020, and reported an increase in vaccination rates from 38% and 5% in 2011, to 57% and 51% in 2017, respectively.

Furthermore, the proportion with at least a 2-dose HPV vaccination went from 30% and 2% in 2011 to 46% and 39% in 2017, respectively.

And by 2017, the 2-dose HPV vaccination coverage significantly varied by state and gender, such as 80% in the District of Columbia, among girls, to 15% in Mississippi among boys. This geo-segmentation was positively correlated with local legislation for HPV vaccine education and pediatrician availability.

The HPV vaccine protects against several types of cancer.

Previously, the U.S. CDC reported on August 21, 2020, HPV vaccination rates among teens made a small improvement in 2019, but still lag behind most other vaccines.

About 54.2% of teens were fully vaccinated against HPV last year, compared to 51.1% in 2018, according to a new analysis of 2019 National Immunization Survey – Teen data published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Roughly 56.8% of girls were up to date on HPV vaccination, up from 53.7% in 2018. Boys’ rates also improved from 48.7% to 51.8%. Teen coverage with at least one dose was 71.5%, up from 68.1%.

Both the CDC and the AAP recommends starting the HPV vaccine series between 9-12 years. HPV vaccination is also recommended for men and women with compromised immune systems (including people living with HIV/AIDS) through age 26 if they did not get fully vaccinated when they were younger.

There are various HPV vaccines available around the world, with Gardasil 9 the most prescribed vaccine in the USA.

The U.S. FDA approved an expanded indication for GARDASIL9 for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancers caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 on June 13, 2020. 

The HPV vaccine has been demonstrated to be highly effective in the prevention of HPV infection and HPV associated diseases.

Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the USA, with an annual incidence rate of approximately 14 million people, says the CDC.

HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses. Each HPV virus in this large group is given a number which is called its HPV type.

Some other HPV types can lead to cancer, especially cervical cancer. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females.

Vax-Before-Cancer publishes research-based oncology news.