A decade ago, public health officials launched a vaccine to combat the virus that causes cervical cancer. You've heard about Vice President Joe Biden's upcoming cancer "moon shot" in hopes of eradicating the disease? This was a cancer moon shot in 2006. Medical officials recommended the routine vaccination of girls starting generally at ages 11 and up.
On Monday, researchers delivered a payload that is as thrilling as a jaunt on the lunar surface: America is winning the battle against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cancers in both men and women.
The latest study shows that far fewer teenage girls and young women in their 20s now carry HPV. That likely means many fewer cases of these cancers in decades ahead. The latest numbers show:
--Among girls 14 to 19 years old, HPV dropped by nearly two-thirds, from 11.5 percent to 4.3 percent.
--For women 20 to 24, the rate was down slightly more than one-third, from 18.5 percent to 12.1 percent.
Now, think about how much lower these numbers could go. HPV vaccination rates in the U.S., while increasing, remain relatively low. Last year, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 40 percent of girls 13 to 17 years old had taken the full recommended regimen of three doses; the rate was about half that for boys.
As vaccination rates climb, the numbers of those HPV-caused cancers should plummet. The vaccine, recommended for boys in 2011, is expected to show similarly encouraging results as it becomes more widely adopted.
"The vaccine is working even better than we would expect," Debbie Saslow, a cervical cancer and HPV vaccination expert at the American Cancer Society, tells us.
One reason could be that even those teens who take fewer than the recommended three doses are being partially protected. Another possible reason involves what's known as herd immunity: Vaccinated teenagers who become sexually active don't spread the virus so they unwittingly protect those who haven't been vaccinated.
Still, the more people vaccinated, the better for everyone.
HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection. As many as 8 in 10 American adults will become infected at some point. In most cases, however, the virus is held in check by the immune system. But an estimated 27,000 HPV-associated cancers are diagnosed in men and women every year, the CDC says.
We understand that some parents are leery of vaccines. We know some doctors may be reluctant to press the case because it involves talking to parents about a teen's--even a pre-teen's--sexual activity.
But the science is clear: The HPV vaccine has been proven safe and effective. There are no serious side effects.
Parents who shun the vaccine put their children at risk. Generations of Americans dreamed of a vaccine to prevent cancer. One is here, now. The reason to shun it? There is none.
Editorial on 02/25/2016