New York State “Start at 9” Campaign to Prevent HPV Cancers

HPV infection affects about 85 percent of the population and can cause 6 types of cancer, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancer, as well as genital warts. Approximately twenty-eight hundred New Yorkers are diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer each year. The HPV vaccine, which is recommended to adolescents between ages 9 and 12, is safe and extremely effective in preventing HPV infections and cancers. However, HPV vaccination rates continue to be much lower than the rates of other routinely recommended vaccines for adolescents in New York State (NYS). In fact, only 40.2% of 13-year-old adolescents in NYS have completed the HPV vaccine series leaving most of that age group unprotected from future HPV cancers. 

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