: News

Filed Under:

Over Eighty Percent Of Sixth Grade Girls In D.C. Public Schools Receive HPV Vaccine

October 20, 2009
Play associated audio
comments

Girls entering the sixth grade in D.C. Public Schools this year had to receive the Human Papillomavirus vaccine or show proof that their parents had chosen to "opt out."

The vaccine, better known by it's trade name "Gardasil," is shown to protect girls against four types of HPV, two of which commonly cause cervical cancer. In D.C. public schools, almost 1,200 girls entered the sixth grade this year, and 82 percent of girls entering sixth grade this year received the vaccine.

Dr LaQuandra Nesbitt, with the D.C. Department of Health, says overall vaccination rate in D.C. public schools is approximately 90 percent. But she wasn't surprised the HPV numbers were lower. "We do understand there is some public concern so we had an expectation there would be 15 to 20 percent of the young ladies who would opt out."

Students need to receive three shots over the course of several months to build immunity to the virus.The vaccine has been controversial because of concerns over vaccine safety as well as that it might encourage promiscuity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than six million people become infected each year.

Kavitha Cardoza reports...

Arts & Culture

NPR

A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self

Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.

Food

NPR

Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!'

The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.

Politics

NPR

Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.

Technology

NPR

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.