ACP, other medical groups urge physicians to strongly recommend HPV vaccination

ACP and 3 other national medical associations, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, together with the Immunization Action Coalition and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have issued a call urging physicians across the United States to educate their patients about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and to strongly recommend vaccination.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter issued earlier this month, medical and public health organizations emphasized to physicians that strong clinician recommendations are critical to increasing the rate of HPV vaccination and preventing HPV-associated cancers. Despite more than 7 years of vaccine monitoring showing overwhelming evidence of HPV vaccine safety and effectiveness, HPV vaccination rates are not improving while rates for other adolescent vaccines are.

In the U.S. alone, 79 million people are currently infected with HPV. Every year, 14 million are newly infected and 26,000 cancers attributable to HPV are diagnosed. Studies show that when a clinician strongly recommends HPV vaccination, patients are 4 to 5 times more likely to receive the HPV vaccine.

Read the complete “Dear Colleague” letter here.