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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... John Przybys: HPV vaccine remains underused, experts say Comment By John Przybys Las Vegas Review-Journal MailTribune.com By John Przybys Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 AM By John Przybys Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 AM » Social News It’s a vaccine — one that ideally is given to teenagers even before they become sexually active — that can prevent the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and cervical and other cancers. Yet, it’s a vaccine that many teenagers aren’t receiving. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of 13- to 17-year-old boys and girls who received the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine did increase “slightly” in 2014 for the second year in a row. But, the CDC adds, 4 out of 10 adolescent girls and 6 out of 10 adolescent boys in the United States still haven’t begun taking the HPV vaccine series, leaving them at risk of HPV infections that can lead to cancers of the cervix, vagina and vulva in women, cancers of the penis in men, and cancers of the anus and oropharynx — the back of the throat, base of the tongue and tonsils — in both. Why aren’t more adolescents receiving the HPV vaccine? One issue, says Dr. Matthew Martin, a family practice physician and assistant professor at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, is that insurance companies may not cover a full course of HPV vaccinations. “And, that being said, the cost for many providers is such that, if not used on a regular enough basis ... it winds up going out of date and has to be discarded. That can create problems because not every provider is going to see enough of that age group to make it viable.” The HPV vaccine typically is administered to people around age 11, but catch-up vaccinations can be given until the age of 26. “One benefit is, by giving it to patients before they become sexually active, it gives them the most protection,” Martin says. But that poses another potential hurdle: Parents may fear that approving the vaccination for their child might equate to implicit permission for the child to become sexually active or even promiscuous. “There has never been any data to suggest that,” Martin says, although “there is sort of that undertone because (HPV is) sexually transmitted.” Another potential hurdle: Teenagers who, now old enough to participate in making health care decisions, may opt to decline the vaccine. “It’s an age group at which they feel they can kind of start making decisions,” Martin says. “So many parents will say to the child, ‘This sounds like a good idea. Would you like this?’ And I’ve seen patients who had an option for the shot say, ‘No, thanks.’ “ But young people, with their parents’ support, would do well to consider HPV vaccinations. The vaccine, with a regimen of regular checkups and screenings, offers “one more piece of protection to prevent potentially quite preventable cancers from becoming a problem,” Martin says. By John Przybys Las Vegas Review-Journal MailTribune.com By John Przybys Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 8:30 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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