Need to increase delivery of the vaccine at the recommended ages of 11 or 12 years
THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among American girls remain too low, according to research published in the Oct. 30 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers from the CDC and the National Committee for Quality Assurance analyzed vaccination data on 626,318 girls at age 13 enrolled in either private insurance plans or Medicaid in 2013.
All three doses of HPV vaccine were given to a median of 12 percent of privately insured girls and 19 percent of those covered by Medicaid. Rates in different programs ranged from 0 to 34 percent for those with private coverage, and 5 to 52 percent for girls with Medicaid.
“Increasing delivery of HPV vaccination at the recommended ages of 11 or 12 years, before most adolescents are exposed to the virus, can ensure adolescents are protected against HPV infections and associated cancers,” according to the report.
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