HPV vaccinations are up — as are HPV-related cancer cases

A growing number of adolescents are being vaccinated against the human papillomavirus — but HPV-associated cancers are also on the rise. The CDC reports that the number of 13- to 17-year-olds who have completed the HPV vaccines series grew 5 percentage points from 2016 to 2017. In 2017, nearly 66 percent of adolescents ages 13 to 17 received the first dose of the vaccine series, and nearly 49 percent had completed the series. It's encouraging news, given the slow uptake of HPV vaccinations in the U.S. Meanwhile, in another new report, the CDC says the number of HPV-associated cancers climbed from 30,000 in 1999 to 43,000 in 2015.

National, Regional, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — United States, 2017 | MMWR

Trends in Human Papillomavirus–Associated Cancers — United States, 1999–2015 | MMWR