August 2018 | What's New

Report on HPV vaccination among U.S. adolescents

CDC released a report in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) on the latest estimates of adolescent vaccination rates in the United States, which provide encouraging signs for preventing future cancers. The 2017 National Immunization Survey-Teen report shows HPV vaccination rates are increasing as the number of teens up to date – meaning they started and completed the HPV vaccine series – increased by five percentage points from 2016 to 2017. In 2017, nearly 66 percent of adolescents aged 13-17 years received the first dose of the HPV vaccine series, and nearly 49 percent of adolescents completed the vaccine series in 2017. There is still a room for improvement as over half of adolescents have not completed the HPV vaccine series (51 percent) or received both doses of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (56 percent). Additionally, fewer adolescents in rural areas are getting the HPV and meningococcal conjugate vaccines compared to their urban peers.

Another report released in today’s MMWR found that oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat) is the most common HPV-associated cancer in the United States. Between 1999 and 2015, rates of oropharyngeal cancer increased in both men and women, but more in men. The report also found that in 2015, roughly 43,000 men and women developed an HPV-associated cancer (cancer in the part of the body where HPV is often found).

For more information on these reports, read the press release or the MMWR articles. You can also find a webpage addressing vaccination in rural communities at: https://www.cdc.gov/ruralhealth/vaccines/.

New Medscape CME

CDC Medscape CME: Making the Case: Championing for HPV Cancer Prevention in Your Practice

Modeled on an interactive grand rounds approach, this new CME features cases with two adolescent patients designed to educate clinicians about current HPV vaccine recommendations, best practices for effectively recommending and addressing questions about HPV vaccination with parents of age-appropriate boys and girls, and strategies to foster team-wide collaboration for HPV vaccination in their practice. Access this CME here: https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/898084.

Nominate an HPV Vaccine Champion

HPV Vaccination Champion Nominations

We are well underway for the second annual HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award, which is in partnership with the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), American Cancer Society (ACS), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The award recognizes clinicians, clinics, practices, groups, and health systems that are going above and beyond to foster HPV vaccination in their communities. The suggested deadline for nominations submitted to the immunization programs of the state or territory in which the nominee resides was August 10, 2018. As a reminder, the deadline for immunization programs to submit a nomination to CDC is September 14, 2018. Submissions must be sent to PreteenVaccines@cdc.gov. CDC, ACS, and AACI will review and confirm the recommendations and issue the awards.

To learn more about the HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award program, including profiles of last year’s winners, nomination requirements, and the nomination packet, please visit: www.cdc.gov/hpv/champions. If you have any questions, please contact preteenvaccines@cdc.gov.