A recent survey shows more people in North Carolina are getting vaccinated to prevent sexually transmitted infections, suggesting that over half of adolescents in the state have had at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It's been linked to various cancers, including cervical.
A vaccine for females was introduced in 2006 and one for males five years later. It's now recommended as part of routine immunizations for young adolescents.
The report by the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention looks at data from 2016. It shows nearly 60 percent of North Carolina teens have received at least one round of the two-dose vaccination, just shy of the national average.
The percentage of vaccinations is almost equal for both sexes, even though the shot was introduced later for males.
While immunization rates for HPV are rising, especially among men, they don't equal those of others, such as the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.