The medical and public health community agrees that vaccines administered at an early age – including the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine – not only save lives, but also provide a lifetime of savings to families and the health care system. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine prevents infections from the four types of HPV that cause 84% of the cases of cervical cancer in the U.S., most of the vaginal and vulvar cancers, and 90% of the cases of genital warts.
Key Points
- Studies show that state laws requiring immunization as a condition of enrollment in school increase the use of vaccines, reduce disease, lessen racial disparities in coverage and increase available funding. 1
- Though hepatitis B is primarily transmitted by sexual contact or intravenous drug use, the requirement for infants and children to be vaccinated against the disease has not caused an increase in sexual activity or intravenous drug use. However, the hepatitis B vaccine has reduced the number of cases in the U.S. by 80%, from up to 300,000 per year to about 60,000 in 2004. In addition, requiring the hepatitis B vaccine at birth is associated with higher rates of on-time completion of the hepatitis B vaccine series and other vaccines. 2
- Vaccines such as diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus, measles/mumps/rubella and polio that are required for children entering school have resulted in a dramatic reduction in the incidence of these once-common diseases. For example, before the measles vaccine was introduced, about 500,000 children contracted the disease each year; in 2000, there were only 81 cases of measles. 3
- Vaccines are not reserved solely for airborne illnesses or infections. The required tetanus vaccine, for example, has been highly effective for reducing a dangerous infection that is not airborne.
1 The George Washington University Medical Center School of Public Health and Human Services (2007, January). HPV Vaccination: Should it be Recommended or Required?. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/about/rapidresponse/download/HPV_Vaccine_Paper_(January_2007).pdf citing Orenstein, W. A., Hinman, A. R. (1999, October 29). The Immunization System in the United States—the Role of School Immunization Laws. Vaccine, 17(Suppl. 3), S19-24.
2 Jaques-Carroll, L (2006, February 2). 2005 Hepatitis B Update: Immunization of Infants and Children. Netconference presented by the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Script retrieved February 19, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/ciinc/powerpoint/02_06_HepB/ScriptThursLJC.doc
3 Malone, K. & Hinman, A. (2003). Vaccine Mandates: The Public Health Imperative and Individual Rights. In Goodman, R. A., Hoffman, R. E., et. al. (Eds.) Law in Public Health Practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 262-284). New York: Oxford University Press. ARTICLE
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