CDC Report On STI Rates Among Teen Girls Should 'Reinvigorate' HPV Vaccine Mandate Debate, Editorial Says

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Article Date: 27 Mar 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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A recent CDC study that found that about 25% of female teenagers ages 14 to 19 have at least one common sexually transmitted infection should "reinvigorate" the debate over requiring human papillomavirus vaccines for school admission, a Washington Post editorial says.

Although more than 20 states and Washington, D.C., recently have considered HPV vaccine mandates for young girls, only the District and Virginia have passed such laws, according to the editorial. The two laws "struck exactly the right balance" in mandating vaccination for school admission while providing an opt-out clause for parents, as well as education on the HPV vaccine, the editorial says.

Efforts to require HPV vaccination in other states have "stalled" in part because of a "backlash" against the "notion of vaccinating girls as young as 11" against an STI, the editorial says. However, the CDC study, which found an 18% HPV prevalence among teen girls, should "serve as a wake-up call to those in denial about the sexual activity of today's young people, not to mention the dangers they face," according to the Post. "The case for the HPV vaccine is clear cut," the editorial says, adding that its effectiveness in preventing transmission of HPV strains that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts is "undisputed" (Washington Post, 3/26).

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