Teen Vaccine Study

A new study reveals teens are not receiving at least three recommended vaccinations, which makes them vulnerable to disease later in life. Parents were asked whether their child was given a particular treatment from 2008 to 2010. Study lead author and pediatrician Dr. Paul Darden says the evidence is particularly startling for young women who are not given the HPV vaccine. “The best time to vaccinate them is before they become sexually active and before they are potentially exposed to the virus.” He says the bottom line is a missed vaccine can be a life changer, particularly for women. However, the proof may be decades away. “Women, it protects them against cervical cancer, now of course that is not a disease of adolescents, that is a disease later in life.”  Doctors can literally make a difference, adds Dr. Darden. “One of the most effective ways of getting adolescents immunized is for their doctor to recommend it to them.” Dr. Darden says half the battle is shattering a long-running myth. “There have been concerns raised that giving the vaccine will in some way give permission or promote sexual activity and studies have found that is not the case.” The study is published in the April edition of Pediatrics, which goes online today.