Passport Health Ready to Assist in Vaccination Efforts Nationwide
BALTIMORE, MD – 10/26/2011—TheAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention issued a new recommendation for the HPVvaccine yesterday. The ACIPrecommends the vaccination for boys ages 11 and 12. It also recommends vaccination of males ages 13 through 21who had not already had all three shots. “The HPV vaccine may be given to boysas young as 9,” said Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health, the nation’slargest private provider of travel medical services and immunizations in thenation.
“The ACIP recommended this vaccine for girls and young women between theages of 11 to 26 back in 2006, but vaccination rates in the United States haveso far been very disappointing,” she added. By age 50, up to 80% of women in the U.S. will have contractedHPV. While most infections willclear out on their own, some will progress to become genital warts and cancerand this is the main concern for health care officials.
HPV is also linked to other types of cancer beyond cervical cancer. “Accordingto the CDC there have been over 8,500 cases of HPV-positive head and neckcancer cases in 2010, including throat cancer,” commented Lessans. PassportHealth’s nationwide offices carry all ACIP-recommended vaccinationsfor travel and generalwellness vaccines, including the HPV vaccine.
By vaccinating young boys against HPV the incidence ofHPV-positive cancers is expected to decrease in both men and women. When discussing routine childhood andadolescent vaccinations, Dr. Alex Lupenko, Corporate Medical Director ofPassport Health and infectious disease specialist, underscored the importanceof these vaccinations. “This vaccine plays an extremely important role inpreventing the transmission of HPV,” he said. “It is as important as any otherchildhood vaccination like Measles,Mumps, Rubella, Polio,Tetanus& Diphtheria and all the other vaccines that young kids receive.”
Hereare some U.S. statistics to consider:· There are new data suggesting that there is a linkbetween HPV and heart disease in women. · 80% of women will have an HPV infection in theirlifetime.· Only 49% of women have had at least one of the threerecommended doses of the HPV vaccine.· Less than 30% of them had received the entire 3-shotseries. · 8,500 HPV-positive head and neck cancer cases in 2010alone.· Hispanic women had the highest incidence rate forcervical cancer. African American women had the second highest rate of gettingcervical cancer, followed by Caucasian, American Indian/Alaska Native, andAsian/Pacific Islander women.· Persistent infections with high-risk HPVs are theprimary cause of cervical cancer. o 2010 Cervical Cancer cases: 12,710o 2010 Cervical Cancer Deaths: 4,290· HPV infections also cause some cancers of the vulva,vagina, penis, and oropharynx.
“This concerns all of us. As a developed a nation we do not understand why vaccinationrates are so low and why 4,000 women must die of cervical cancer every year,”stated Lessans. “By vaccinatingboys and men against HPV we not only protect them against infection or certaincancers, but we are also protecting unvaccinated women,” she concluded.
Passport Health has HPV vaccinations available in all of itsoffices nationwide. Please call 1-888-499-PASS(7277)to make an appointment. Ask yourPassport Health representative about our evening and weekend hours. For more information or to learn moreabout HPV visit www.passporthealthusa.com.
-Jorge Eduardo Castillo
Jorge.Castillo@passporthealthusa.com
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