Bachman/Perry Overdrive

At the Tea Party debate the other night, Michelle Bachman attacked Rick Perry over his attempt to mandate the requirement for all “tween” girls in Texas to receive the HPV vaccine, and the media has jumped in like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

Perry admitted that he probably went about it in the wrong way, but I think his move, although a political disaster, was actually a step in the right direction! That’s not just my opinion, it is also the position of the U.S. Government in the form of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as demonstrated below. 

It would be hard to argue against the effectiveness of vaccines – diseases like Smallpox and Polio have been essentially eradicated during my lifetime - and NOBODY thinks cervical cancer is a good thing. 

But Liberals who otherwise might have supported the idea are joining hard-core Libertarians who despise any political mandate, and Bible thumping Texas Conservatives who were enraged at the implication that their Sweet Innocent Babies might be engaging in Sexual Intercourse – Never mind the numerous studies that show that they ARE, and the age at which they are having sex is steadily getting younger.

It should also be emphasized– especially since I’ve never seen it reported anywhere else– that Washington D.C. and the State of Virginia already require HPV vaccinations for middle school girls.

Perry may have gone about it wrong, but he isn’t the Anti-Christ; just consider this excerpt from a CDC survey issued last month: 

In 2010, vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13 through 17 years increased from coverage in 2009; however, the percentage-point increase in ≥1 dose of HPV among females (4.4 points) was less than half the increase observed for ≥1 dose of Tdap (13.1) and ≥1 dose of MenACWY (9.1). As in previous years, coverage with ≥1 dose of HPV was higher among older compared with younger adolescent females. Among females with adequate time to complete the series, 30.4% had not done so. HPV completion rates were lower among certain populations (i.e., blacks, Hispanics, and those living below poverty) known to have higher cervical cancer rates (3). Although HPV vaccination is only universally recommended for females aged 9 through 26 years, 2009 ACIP guidance states that HPV vaccination may be administered to males aged 9 through 26 years. Only 1.4% of males aged 13 through 17 years received the vaccine in 2010.

As in previous years, adolescent vaccination coverage varied widely among states and other reporting areas, which could reflect differing vaccination-promotion initiatives among local health agencies and communities. Common initiatives among the three states with the highest vaccination coverage (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington) included strong working relationships and communication between state immunization programs and vaccination providers, local professional organizations, and schools; school vaccination requirements; and promotion of the use of reminder/recall systems (CDC, unpublished data, 2011). Additional factors that might play an important role in vaccination coverage include vaccine financing, health-care infrastructure, local outbreaks, and communication efforts leading to increased consumer demand.

Analysis of 2009 NIS-Teen data found that middle school vaccination requirements for Tdap or MenACWY were associated with higher coverage for these vaccines; however, adolescents living in states with a middle school vaccination requirement for at least one adolescent vaccine did not have significantly higher coverage with all three recommended adolescent vaccines compared with adolescents living in states with no vaccination requirements (4). The number of states with middle school requirements increased from the 2009--10 to the 2010--11 school year (i.e., 37 required a tetanus booster, 31 specified Tdap, and 10 required MenACWY) and likely contributed to increases in Tdap and MenACWY coverage (5). The District of Columbia and Virginia are the only reporting areas with middle school HPV vaccination requirements (4), which might have contributed to the increase in HPV vaccination in those areas over the past 2 years. Missed vaccination opportunities occur when adolescents receive middle school--required vaccines but not other ACIP-recommended vaccines. Further study is needed to understand and address barriers to providing all recommended vaccines during the same visit.