Two days of brainstorming by Broward County’s leading immunization advocates
produced a big innovation – a three-year plan to increase the number of
children vaccinated against HPV.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County and its community partners led the session and will take a central role in the new push to boost human papilloma virus
vaccination for kids starting at age 11-12. More than three dozen people from
numerous organizations attended.
“We’re gratified to see all the community partners who helped shape the
HPV plan and who will help make it a reality,” says Dr. Paula Thaqi, Director
of DOH-Broward. “Our goal is to make HPV widely accepted by families in Broward
as a cancer-prevention vaccine to protect their children.”
HPV spreads through sexual contact and can lead to various infections,
including cervical cancer. Unlike immunizations required for school, the
three-dose HPV vaccine is optional. In Florida, only half of eligible girls and
one-quarter of eligible boys receive the first dose. Only one-third of girls and
one-eighth of boys received all doses.
To address the problem, DOH-Broward received a $40,000 grant from the
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Highlights of the coming initiative:
Create a significant publicity
and social media campaign to educate parents, children and health professionals
about the vaccine. Celebrities will be recruited as HPV spokespersons.
Develop a “toolkit” and an
informational website for physicians, so that more of them will educate
families about the vaccine.
Share data on vaccination
rates with doctors, who may overestimate the vaccine’s acceptance.
In addition, efforts will be made to increase the vaccine's availability and affordability.
“If the vaccine were 100 percent free, more doctors would offer it and
more children definitely would get it,” says Dr. Aaron Elkin, who heads an HPV
committee at the Broward County Medical Association.
More information:
CDC at www.cdc.gov/hpv/vaccine.html