HPV Vaccine Will Soon Be Available to California 12-Year-Olds without Parental Consent

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill last week that will allow girls as young as 12 to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine without their parents’ consent or knowledge. The new law, which is similar to those in approximately 30 other states, will take effect on January 1, 2012.

The HPV vaccine is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. It protects against the viruses that cause almost all of the 12,000 annual cases of cervical cancer in the US. HPV is transmitted sexually, and critics of the new law argue that it will encourage young girls to have sex. The vaccine has become a national issue as rivals have criticized Republican presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry for issuing a 2007 executive order requiring young girls to get it.

Data from the National Immunization Survey released in August found that, among girls aged 13 to 17 in 2010, 48.7% had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine and just 32.0% had received the recommended three doses. Coverage with the HPV vaccine has lagged significantly behind that of two other vaccines recommended for adolescents, the meningococcal conjugate vaccine and the tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis vaccine. The lag is thought to be due to controversy over the connection between HPV and sex and the requirement for parental consent.

Around the Web

California 12-Year-Olds to Get HPV Vaccine Without Parental Consent [ABC News]

National and State Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13 Through 17 Years --- United States, 2010 [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report]