CNMI: Over 75 percent of high school girls get HPV vaccine

[Guest guest]

Note: CNMI= Commonwealth of the Northern na Islands, [North Pacific Ocean], administered by the US.By the way, these islands have the highest female to male in the world with 0.77 males/female (1.30 females/male). ============http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=83676 & cat=1Sunday, September 21, 2008Over 75 percent of high school girls get HPV vaccineBy Kristi EatonReporterMore than three-fourths of CNMI high school girls have been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine last year as part of the Department of Public Health's campaign to prevent cervical cancer. Within the entire CNMI, 76 percent of girls were vaccinated, DPH Immunization coordinator na Sablan said. On Rota, all 91 girls were vaccinated, while 90 percent of girls on Tinian were vaccinated. On Saipan, 75 percent of public school girls and 82 percent of private school girls, for a total of 80 percent, were vaccinated. The female students received three shots to complete the vaccination process. Sablan said she was satisfied with the numbers because many of the girls who were not vaccinated left the islands for other reasons. The campaign targeted high schools so they could be immunized before they graduated, Sablan said. “Once they graduate, you can't capture them,” she added. This year the campaign will focus on sixth graders. Sablan said she would like to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the girls. There was some controversy to the program, including religious barriers, she said. Some opponents say dispensing the HPV vaccine encourages girls to have sex rather than preventing premarital sex. “Since it's got to do with sex, parents are sometimes hesitant,” she said, adding that the CNMI being predominantly Catholic fuels the controversy. But once parents learned more about the program, they were more receptive, Sablan said. “There are always parents who are concerned and protective,” she said. “We do understand where they're coming from. The only thing we can do is answer questions and let them decide what to do with it.” “It is not a required shot, compared to measles, mumps or rubella,” she added. “It is a preventative measure that has a lot of controversy. We highly recommend it to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases. We encourage parents to talk openly with their kids.” She said that every seven weeks a woman in the CNMI is diagnosed with cervical cancer. “We're seeing a lot of woman dying and it's sad to know prevention was available,” she added. Earlier this year, Sablan was asked to speak about the success of the CNMI's program at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta. The first vaccination will begin around late October. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

[Guest guest]

Note: CNMI= Commonwealth of the Northern na Islands, [North Pacific Ocean], administered by the US.By the way, these islands have the highest female to male in the world with 0.77 males/female (1.30 females/male). ============http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=83676 & cat=1Sunday, September 21, 2008Over 75 percent of high school girls get HPV vaccineBy Kristi EatonReporterMore than three-fourths of CNMI high school girls have been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine last year as part of the Department of Public Health's campaign to prevent cervical cancer. Within the entire CNMI, 76 percent of girls were vaccinated, DPH Immunization coordinator na Sablan said. On Rota, all 91 girls were vaccinated, while 90 percent of girls on Tinian were vaccinated. On Saipan, 75 percent of public school girls and 82 percent of private school girls, for a total of 80 percent, were vaccinated. The female students received three shots to complete the vaccination process. Sablan said she was satisfied with the numbers because many of the girls who were not vaccinated left the islands for other reasons. The campaign targeted high schools so they could be immunized before they graduated, Sablan said. “Once they graduate, you can't capture them,” she added. This year the campaign will focus on sixth graders. Sablan said she would like to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the girls. There was some controversy to the program, including religious barriers, she said. Some opponents say dispensing the HPV vaccine encourages girls to have sex rather than preventing premarital sex. “Since it's got to do with sex, parents are sometimes hesitant,” she said, adding that the CNMI being predominantly Catholic fuels the controversy. But once parents learned more about the program, they were more receptive, Sablan said. “There are always parents who are concerned and protective,” she said. “We do understand where they're coming from. The only thing we can do is answer questions and let them decide what to do with it.” “It is not a required shot, compared to measles, mumps or rubella,” she added. “It is a preventative measure that has a lot of controversy. We highly recommend it to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases. We encourage parents to talk openly with their kids.” She said that every seven weeks a woman in the CNMI is diagnosed with cervical cancer. “We're seeing a lot of woman dying and it's sad to know prevention was available,” she added. Earlier this year, Sablan was asked to speak about the success of the CNMI's program at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta. The first vaccination will begin around late October. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

[Guest guest]

Note: CNMI= Commonwealth of the Northern na Islands, [North Pacific Ocean], administered by the US.By the way, these islands have the highest female to male in the world with 0.77 males/female (1.30 females/male). ============http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=83676 & cat=1Sunday, September 21, 2008Over 75 percent of high school girls get HPV vaccineBy Kristi EatonReporterMore than three-fourths of CNMI high school girls have been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine last year as part of the Department of Public Health's campaign to prevent cervical cancer. Within the entire CNMI, 76 percent of girls were vaccinated, DPH Immunization coordinator na Sablan said. On Rota, all 91 girls were vaccinated, while 90 percent of girls on Tinian were vaccinated. On Saipan, 75 percent of public school girls and 82 percent of private school girls, for a total of 80 percent, were vaccinated. The female students received three shots to complete the vaccination process. Sablan said she was satisfied with the numbers because many of the girls who were not vaccinated left the islands for other reasons. The campaign targeted high schools so they could be immunized before they graduated, Sablan said. “Once they graduate, you can't capture them,” she added. This year the campaign will focus on sixth graders. Sablan said she would like to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the girls. There was some controversy to the program, including religious barriers, she said. Some opponents say dispensing the HPV vaccine encourages girls to have sex rather than preventing premarital sex. “Since it's got to do with sex, parents are sometimes hesitant,” she said, adding that the CNMI being predominantly Catholic fuels the controversy. But once parents learned more about the program, they were more receptive, Sablan said. “There are always parents who are concerned and protective,” she said. “We do understand where they're coming from. The only thing we can do is answer questions and let them decide what to do with it.” “It is not a required shot, compared to measles, mumps or rubella,” she added. “It is a preventative measure that has a lot of controversy. We highly recommend it to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases. We encourage parents to talk openly with their kids.” She said that every seven weeks a woman in the CNMI is diagnosed with cervical cancer. “We're seeing a lot of woman dying and it's sad to know prevention was available,” she added. Earlier this year, Sablan was asked to speak about the success of the CNMI's program at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta. The first vaccination will begin around late October. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

[Guest guest]

Note: CNMI= Commonwealth of the Northern na Islands, [North Pacific Ocean], administered by the US.By the way, these islands have the highest female to male in the world with 0.77 males/female (1.30 females/male). ============http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=83676 & cat=1Sunday, September 21, 2008Over 75 percent of high school girls get HPV vaccineBy Kristi EatonReporterMore than three-fourths of CNMI high school girls have been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine last year as part of the Department of Public Health's campaign to prevent cervical cancer. Within the entire CNMI, 76 percent of girls were vaccinated, DPH Immunization coordinator na Sablan said. On Rota, all 91 girls were vaccinated, while 90 percent of girls on Tinian were vaccinated. On Saipan, 75 percent of public school girls and 82 percent of private school girls, for a total of 80 percent, were vaccinated. The female students received three shots to complete the vaccination process. Sablan said she was satisfied with the numbers because many of the girls who were not vaccinated left the islands for other reasons. The campaign targeted high schools so they could be immunized before they graduated, Sablan said. “Once they graduate, you can't capture them,” she added. This year the campaign will focus on sixth graders. Sablan said she would like to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the girls. There was some controversy to the program, including religious barriers, she said. Some opponents say dispensing the HPV vaccine encourages girls to have sex rather than preventing premarital sex. “Since it's got to do with sex, parents are sometimes hesitant,” she said, adding that the CNMI being predominantly Catholic fuels the controversy. But once parents learned more about the program, they were more receptive, Sablan said. “There are always parents who are concerned and protective,” she said. “We do understand where they're coming from. The only thing we can do is answer questions and let them decide what to do with it.” “It is not a required shot, compared to measles, mumps or rubella,” she added. “It is a preventative measure that has a lot of controversy. We highly recommend it to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases. We encourage parents to talk openly with their kids.” She said that every seven weeks a woman in the CNMI is diagnosed with cervical cancer. “We're seeing a lot of woman dying and it's sad to know prevention was available,” she added. Earlier this year, Sablan was asked to speak about the success of the CNMI's program at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta. The first vaccination will begin around late October. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.