Not all pediatricians recommend HPV vaccine for eleven- and twelve-year olds

University Hospitals Case Medical CenterJan 12 2016

In a society that has become increasingly suspicious of vaccines, it's not only parents who stand in the way of some children getting vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV). A new study published in Pediatrics shows not all pediatricians are recommending or even discussing the HPV virus for eleven- and twelve-year olds.

"Eighty-four percent of pediatricians either strongly or always urge this vaccine," says Lolita McDavid, MD, a pediatrician at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. "We're getting there. Remember, this vaccine is less than nine years old."

While 16 percent of pediatricians aren't urging families to get the vaccine for adolescent patients, 11 percent of pediatricians and family physicians of the 600 surveyed said they do not even discuss the vaccine with eleven- and twelve-year-olds. The reasons: the doctor doesn't think the child is sexually active (54 percent), the doctor thinks the patient is too young (38 percent), or the doctor suspects the parents will refuse the vaccine (29 percent).

"The importance of giving this vaccine in the eleven to twelve age group is they actually get a better take on the immunization," says Dr. McDavid, "and you want to protect people before they become sexually active."

The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus causes 14 million cancer cases a year in the United States (including cervical, penile, and throat cancer) and it's the most common sexually transmitted virus in the U.S. Research also shows one third of youths have had sexual intercourse by age 16. But despite the safety and effectiveness of the three-dose vaccination, only 38 percent of teen girls and 14 percent of teen boys receive all three doses, far below the usual 80 to 90 percent for other vaccines.

"If there were a vaccine that prevented breast cancer, and this is the only vaccine that prevents a cancer, I'd be number one in line for that vaccine," says Dr. McDavid. "This is a good vaccine and we should use it."