HPV Prevention: Increasing Vaccination Rates Among Adolescents

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most prevalent of all sexually transmitted infections in the United States. HPV is associated with multiple forms of cancer, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal. HPV is also associated with genital warts. The Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines, GARDASIL® and Cervarix®, to protect against HPV infection. Initially recommended only for females, there are now strong recommendations for both males and females to receive the vaccine series. Many barriers, such as provider education, patient/parent education, cost and access, and policies, have resulted in continued low vaccination rates. Our literature review concludes that providers strongly recommend the vaccine to all adolescents. This paper provides comprehensive HPV education for providers and patients, discusses the most common barriers to HPV vaccine uptake, and highlights provider recommendations to increase vaccination rates