[A] majority of young women who are eligible for the [HPV] vaccine are either not getting it or are not following the three-shot protocol to be fully immunized.
-- From "HPV vaccine is not embraced by young women" by Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times 11/9/10
Researchers from the University of Maryland analyzed data from 9,658 teenagers and young women who were eligible for the HPV vaccination at the University of Maryland Medical Center between August 2006 and August 2010. Fewer than one-third (2,641 people) of the women started the three-shot series. Among those women, 39% got a single dose and 30% received two doses. An additional 31% got the complete regimen.
Gardasil is licensed for females age 9 through 26 and Cervarix is licensed for females age 10 through 25. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all girls who are 11 or 12 years old get the three doses (shots) of either brand of HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer and precancer. Girls and young women age 13 through 26 should get all three doses of an HPV vaccine if they have not received all doses yet. Gardasil is also licensed for males age 9 through 26 to prevent genital warts.
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From "Few girls, young women get HPV vaccine" by Amanda Gardner, HealthDay, posted at USA TODAY 11/11/10
"Women who are eligible for this vaccine and could potentially benefit aren't getting it at rates to maximally prevent cervical cancer," said study author J. Kathleen Tracy, an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
According to background information in the abstract, about 30% of sexually active 14- to 19-year-olds are infected with HPV at any one time. Over time, persistent infection can lead to cervical cancer.
The stigma surrounding sexually transmitted diseases may also be a deterrent. "There are these connotations with sexually transmitted diseases, so I think a lot of parents feel that, when you're talking about minors, everybody else should have the vaccine except their own child," said [Dr. Mark Wakabayashi, chief of gynecologic oncology at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif.], who recommends the vaccine to his patients.
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