The first vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV) was licensed in the United States 10 years ago. However, only three jurisdictions require the HPV vaccine for entry to school.
In a new article in Public Health Reports, Tony Yang, associate professor of health administration and policy, along with Leila Barraza and Doug Campos-Outcalt of the University of Arizona and Kim Weidenaar of Arizona State University, examine the mandates in those three jurisdictions and the implications of the lack of mandates on public health.
The authors explain that requiring the HPV vaccine for school entry is controversial because of public perception of HPV as a sexually transmitted disease with some people arguing the vaccine encourages promiscuity and the infringement on parental rights to discuss sex with their children on their own terms.
From a public health standpoint, the authors add that requiring the HPV vaccine could help reduce the occurrence of vaccine-preventable cancers.