Did You Know? 2+4+9= 30,000?

During its February 2015 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the 9-valent HPV vaccine as one of three HPV vaccines that can be used for routine vaccination. Unlike existing versions of the vaccine that protect against two or four types of HPV, the newest version offers protection against nine types of HPV. The two current vaccines, if used as recommended, could reduce the number of HPV-associated cancers by 26,000 per year. With the new vaccine, that number increases by 4,000, so that if we effectively use the HPV vaccines in girls and boys in this country, together we can reduce HPV-associated cancers by 30,000 per year. That is 30,000 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins each year who will not have their lives derailed by a cancer diagnosis!