MASON CITY – The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health has partnered with five Mercy Medical Center North Iowa clinics to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates.
With the rising prevalence of HPV, current vaccine rates in our county are nearly 45% below the national goal. “North Iowa’s low vaccination rates are not unique. The vaccine is highly underutilized nationally,” explains Karen Crimmings, Disease Prevention and Investigation Service Manager with the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. “We are hoping by increasing awareness about the virus and the vaccine, we will begin to see an increased number of youth in the area being protected from this cancer causing virus.” To increase awareness, the Health Department has sent direct mailings that include information regarding HPV and the vaccine to all 11-18 year olds in need of the vaccine.
The HPV vaccine is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be given to boys and girls starting at the age of 11 and 12 before they are exposed to the virus. The HPV vaccine is a three doses series vaccine recommended for all persons between the ages of 11 to 26. The vaccine protects against 75% of the HPV strains that cause cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by the time a person turns 50 years old, there is an 80% chance they will have contracted at least one type of the HPV virus. This is a common virus that has the potential to cause serious health problems including cancer. An individual can be infected by HPV by coming in direct contact with another person’s skin or mucous membranes that is already infected by the virus. The cancer caused by this virus kills over 4,000 females and causes HPV related cancers in 7,000 men every year.
Most insurance companies cover the cost of HPV vaccine. However, children whose insurance doesn’t cover the vaccine or they have no health insurance can receive the vaccine free of charge under the Vaccine for Children (VFC) Program.
For more information regarding the HPV vaccine, please contact your child’s health care provider or the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health at (641) 421-9333 or online at www.cghealth.com.
