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37 percent of teenage girls obtained HPV vaccine, report shows
by Camilla Abad - September 18, 2009 - comments
Only 18 percent of teenage girls have completed Gardasil's three doses despite 37 percent getting the vaccine
September 18, Atlanta: Thirty seven percent of teenage girls in the nation have been injected with at least one dose of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.
A survey conducted by the CDC regarding the vaccination status of teenagers in the country was published in the Thursday issue of “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report”. The survey was carried out by inquiring about the vaccination records of almost 18,000 adolescents from their parents through telephone calls.
Vaccination among teenage girls
The survey revealed that compared to the previous year, there was an increase in the percentage of girls aged 13 to 17 years who have already received at least one shot of the HPV vaccine. They revealed the percentages as 37 percent for the year 2008 and 25 percent for 2007.
However, despite the increase in number, CDC also gathered that only 18 percent of teenage girls have completed the vaccine's three-dose series, which is required for full protection.
State differences
CDC also reported that there is a difference in HPV vaccination rates among different states. Rhode Island and New Hampshire had the highest rates, which are 54.7 percent and 54.4 percent respectively, while Mississipi and Georgia got the lowest rates, which are 15.8 percent and 18.5 percent respectively. These rates are based on the number of teenage girls who had at least one shot of the HPV vaccine.
The factors causing the differences in vaccination rates among the states are not clear but Dr. Melinda Wharton, a CDC center administrator tried to explain some of the possible reasons.
According to Dr. Wharton, money may be one of the factors because Gardasil retails for $390 for three doses. There are health insurers who pay for the vaccines but public insurance coverage also varies among states.
Another factor may be because parents will need to take their child to the doctor three times, one for each dose, over a period of six months. There are some parents who may not have the liberty of time to do so or are just simply unwilling to take the trips.
Protection offered by Gardasil
Heather Brandt, a public health researcher from the University of South Carolina said, "It's disturbing to see those states at the lower end of participation because those are states with some of the highest rates of cervical cancer."
Merck's Gardasil, released in 2006, offers protection from the four strains of the human papilloma virus which is the common cause of cervical cancer and genital warts. Another HPV vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix, is expected to be released this year.