PRACTICE UPDATED DATA SHOWS INCREASE IN UTAH HPV VACCINATION COMPLETION RATES Vaccines are the greatest public health success in history and have helped save millions of lives. The HPV vaccine prevents a viral infection that can cause six types of cancer including cervical and throat cancers and represents a new era of cancer prevention. According to the American Cancer Society (2021), each year in the U.S., more than 35,000 men and women are diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer. Most of these cancers could be prevented with vaccination. In addition to these cancers, there are hundreds of thousands of women who undergo treatment for new cases of cervical pre-cancers each year, most which could have been prevented with vaccination. Current research has proven the COVID-19 pandemic having a negative effect on vaccination rates. Parents have avoided pediatrician visits to avoid transmission of the virus. The CDC estimates that HPV vaccinations are down by more than 20% or 1 million doses compared to 2019 (American Cancer Society, 2021). To monitor current state immunization coverage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (CDC, NCIRD) sponsor a yearly survey called the National Immunization Survey (NIS) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). The data collected comes from randomized telephone surveys to parents of adolescents ages 13-17 years old and paper surveys to primary care physicians on immunization practices for ageappropriate vaccines approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (CDC, 2021). Just a few weeks ago the 2020 NIS data was released to the public. Remarkably, Utah saw a slight increase in their HPV vaccination completion rates. Nationally, 58.6% of adolescents both male and female are fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccination (CDC, 2021). Comparatively, Utah’s HPV completion rate is 45% which is up 0.4% from 2019 numbers (CDC, 2021). Utah is ranked 59th out of the 62 population-based, state, selected local areas and territories that were monitored in the NIS data (CDC, 2021). Utah continues to experience gender and geographical disparities amongst their HPV vaccination rates. The uptake in the HPV vaccine remains higher in females at 49.8% compared to only 40.2% of adolescent males (CDC, 2021). Additionally, urban areas throughout the state have a 44.4% HPV completion rate compared to 38.3% HPV completion rates in rural and frontier communities (CDC, 2021).
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In 2018, the American Cancer Society (ACS) launched Mission: HPV Cancer Free, a public health campaign to drastically reduce vaccine-preventable HPV cancers through vaccination with a goal of reaching 80% HPV completion rates by 2026, which marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the HPV vaccination. In 2020, ACS received a grant from Merck to partner with Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah to increase HPV vaccine rates by building a regional consortium, launching focused education, and implementing quality improvement interventions with clinical partners. During the 2020 consortium meetings, dental providers were identified as a partner to engage on helping to educate parents and adolescents on the importance of the HPV vaccine. In 2022, the American Cancer Society will be partnering with the Nevada Dental Hygienist’s Association to launch a 4-part virtual continuing education webinar series dedicated to providing HPV related content to dental providers throughout our 5-state project including Utah. The series will launch January 26th, 2022 and continue every two weeks concluding on March 9, 2022. Topics will include: HPV 101 and the Effects of the Pandemic on Vaccinations, Barriers to Dental Care in Rural and Frontier Communities, Oral Screenings and Malignancies, and an in depth look on the Treatment and Side Effects of HPV-Related Oropharyngeal cancer. To learn more and to register for this series, please visit: https://nvdha.com/.
References: American Cancer Society. (2021). Cancer Facts & Figures 2021. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/content/ dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2021/cancer-facts-and-figures-2021.pdf American Cancer Society. (2021, May 3). The American Cancer Society Encourages Parents to Reschedule Missed Vaccine Visits for Kids. American Cancer Society. http://pressroom.cancer. org/2021-05-03-The-American-Cancer-Society-Encourages-Parents-to-Reschedule-Missed-Vaccine-Visits-for-Kids Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, May 14). Vaccination Coverage among Adolescents (13 – 17 Years). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc. gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/teenvaxview/data-reports/ index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc. gov%2Fvaccines%2Fimz-managers%2Fcoverage%2Fteenvaxview%2Fdata-reports%2Fhpv%2Findex.html November / December 2021
