Cleveland cancer doctors urge HPV vaccinations missed during pandemic
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Cancer doctors at Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and the Cleveland Clinic have a message for parents and young adults: Remember to get an HPV vaccination.
The statement came as those Northeast Ohio medical facilities join with 71 other cancer centers and other organizations to urge young people and parents to refocus on their health after many missed well visits and immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a media release from Case Western Reserve University.
“Without a doubt, vaccination rates and well visits have decreased because of COVID,” said Andrew Hertz, a pediatrician at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and longtime steering committee member of the HPV Quality Improvement Collaborative. “HPV vaccination is a highly effective way to prevent several types of common cancers. However, if vaccination rates do not rise, there will be an increase in cancers, health care expenses and patient morbidity and mortality over the next 20, 30, 40 years.”
About one in four of every American is infected with HPV, a virus that causes several types of cancers, according to the release. Of that nearly 80 million people, 36,000 will be diagnosed with HPV-related cancer this year.
There is a vaccine that prevents HPV infection. But even before the pandemic, the vaccination rate against HPV was lower in the U.S. than in other countries, the release said.
In 2019, about 54% of adolescents were up-to-date on the HPV vaccine, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When the pandemic hit, that rate plummeted by 75%, according to the release. Since last March, it is estimated that one million doses of HPV vaccine have been missed by children with public insurance alone.
The vaccination is recommended for boys and girls ages 11 or 12. For those up to age 26, a catch-up vaccination is also recommended.
“There is a misperception that the HPV vaccine will encourage teens to engage in risk-taking behavior, but studies have proven this is not the case,” said Kimberly Giuliano, chair of primary care pediatrics at Cleveland Clinic Children’s and associate professor of pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. “The HPV vaccine is among the greatest breakthroughs in cancer prevention, but to be effective, kids have to get it. While we have heightened awareness of vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital to discuss other important vaccines like HPV.”
More information on HPV is available from the CDC and National HPV Vaccination Roundtable.
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