Health Alert: Teens Not Getting HPV Vaccine Because of Parents' Fear

Despite studies showing its effectiveness

Many teens are not receiving the recommended vaccines for certain illnesses -- despite the services being available and found to be safe -- because of their parents' concerns of side effects. Though the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus has been linked to cancer, researchers have found that moms and dads concerns about the safety of the HPV vaccine grew each year, from 4.5 percent in 2008 to 16.4 percent in 2010. And the number of parents who said they would not vaccinate their children for HPV increased from 39.8 percent in 2008 to 43.9 percent in 2010. Dr. Paul Darden, lead author of the study, said, "We thought perhaps many parents would think the HPV vaccine would give kids permission to have sex, and therefore not allow their children to get it. But that wasn’t it. They seemed to be skeptical of its safety, which is odd, because it’s shown to be effective with few side effects. We have a vaccine that protects against cancer. Why not vaccinate your child? I don’t get it.” Additionally, when parents were asked why their children didn't receive certain forms of the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) and meningitis vaccine, some noted the shots were not recommended or necessary; others did not have a reason. (CNN)

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