HPV vaccines are being promoted by different cancer centers all around the United States. The UVA Cancer supports the drive for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to help prevent HPV related cancers. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended two doses of HPV vaccine at least six months apart for 11 to 12 year old children.
Adults, both men and women up to 26 years of age are also recommended because the vaccine is more effective when given early. For young men and women between ages 15 and 26, three doses of the vaccine is recommended. In 2016, a CDC report found that a mere 41.9 percent of US girls and 28.1 percent of US boys have received HPV vaccine but this is a slight improvement as compared to previous years. According to the CDC, HPV related cancers that are diagnosed in the US each year is roughly around 40,000.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) it is important to recognize that low rates of HPV vaccines as a serious public health threat. In the United States, approximately 79 million people are infected with HPV and roughly around 14 million new infections occur each year according to the CDC. Several types of high-risk HPV are responsible for many of the oropharyngeal, anal and cervical and other genital cancers that affect both men and women.
Many of these HPV-associated cancers are preventable with vaccine, however HPV vaccine rates across the U.S. remain low. The numbers remain short of the goal of 80percent by the end of the decade according to a report by the Augusta Free Press. According to a report by The Guardian, the most important risk factor for cervical cancer is Human Papilloma Virus infection. HPV is spread through sexual activity where one partner is infected with the disease. Sexually inactive women have little or no chance in getting HPV hence low risk for having cervical cancer.
