Albany, NY - July 5, 2022—The New York State HPV Coalition, the NYS Department of Health and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are united in their commitment to eliminating preventable HPV-related cancers in New York through increased vaccination. At least 30% of adolescents in New York are not fully vaccinated against HPV. To help incentivize vaccine administration, the Coalition has developed an award program to recognize health systems across the state that have excelled in increasing HPV vaccination rates among youth over the past year. The award winners and the award criteria have been posted to the Coalition website at http://www.nyshpv.org/nys-hpv-vaccination-honor-roll-awards/
The HPV Honor Roll Award has been presented to those who achieve HPV vaccination completion rates of 80% to 89% among their patients that have turned 13. Data used to determine the awards are based upon immunization registries which are managed by the State and New York City health departments. “Pediatric and family care practices with the highest HPV vaccination rates in the state deserve to be recognized for their stellar work to prevent HPV infection and save lives from cancer,” says Michael Seserman, MPH, of the American Cancer Society and Chair of the NYS HPV Coalition.
In addition to the statewide Honor Roll Awards, two practices from each region of the state were selected to be HPV Honor Roll Honorees. Regional awards focus on practices with the most improved HPV vaccination rates over the past year. “There is significant variability in HPV vaccination rates across the state. We wanted practices in all regions of the state to have the opportunity to be recognized for their hard work to get more kids vaccinated against HPV,” says Manika Suryadevara, MD of SUNY Upstate Medical University and Co-Chair of the Coalition’s Provider Education Committee.
About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) each year. An estimated 85 percent of people will get HPV during their lives. While most HPV infections go away on their own without lasting health problems, there is no way to know if an infection will lead to cancer. HPV infection is known to cause six different types of cancer: cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and throat cancers. According to the American Cancer Society and the National HPV Roundtable, this 2-shot vaccine series is most effective when administered to children starting at age nine and has the potential to help prevent more than 34,000 cases of HPV-caused cancers in men and women each year.
About the HPV Vaccine
The HPV vaccine, which is recommended for children between 9 and 12 years of age, is highly effective at preventing HPV cancers and genital warts. The vaccine is very safe with more than 300 million doses given worldwide since it was first approved for use in 2006. Unfortunately, only 68% of adolescents between 13 and 17 are fully vaccinated against HPV in New York State, according to a national survey. Some of the reasons are due to misinformation, the lack of a strong provider recommendation, and the HPV vaccine not being required for school entry like other adolescent immunizations. For more information go to www.nyshpv.orgor https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/index.html
About the NYS HPV Coalition
The NYS HPV Coalition was founded by the American Cancer Society and the New York State Department of Health in 2017 to increase HPV vaccination rates and decrease HPV-related disease in New York State through education, coordination, advocacy, and leadership. The Coalition is led by 17 major public health and medical organizations in the state and is one of several action teams under the New York State Cancer Consortium. The NYS HPV Coalition website can be accessed at www.nyshpv.org
