OKLAHOMA CITY - Southwestern Pediatrics in Lawton was recently awarded Oklahoma’s HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention champion.
The award recognizes clinicians, clinics, practices, groups, and health systems which are going above and beyond to foster HPV vaccination in their communities, have at least 60% coverage for HPV series completion among their 13-15 year old male and female population, and meet one or more of the following criteria: leadership, collaboration, and innovation. Southwestern Pediatrics is committed to improving immunization coverage rates among their adolescent population.
“Through the dedication exhibited by the team at Southwestern Pediatrics, they were able to achieve a 77% HPV vaccine series completion rate for their adolescent patients,” said Dr. Fauzia Khan, OSDH Immunization Service director. “We know the number of HPV infections have dropped significantly since the vaccine has been in use by clinicians.”
According to the CDC, the Human Papillomavirus is a common virus which can lead to certain types of cancer later in life. In fact, HPV is so common that about 80% of men and women will get at least one type of HPV infection in their lifetime and about 14 million Americans, including teens, become newly infected each year.
Two doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended for both boys and girls 11-12 years old.