By AP
Oklahoma City, OK – Okla. trails in HPV vaccinations, but numbers up
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The rate at which Oklahoma teenagers are getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus has almost caught up to the national average.
The Oklahoman reports that state Health Department numbers for 2010 show that 47 percent of the state's teenagers received the first of the three-dose vaccination. The national rate was 49 percent.
The human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer, which can be lethal.
Interim Health Department Chief Ken Cadaret says the rate at which teens get the vaccination is likely to rise because the state now requires a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine for all students entering seventh grade.
Cadaret says he expects many patients to get the HPV vaccine at the same time.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com