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Kansas Teens Less Likely To Be Vaccinated Against HPV

VCU CNS, flickr Creative Commons

Teenagers in Kansas are among the least likely to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, according to the Immunize Kansas Coalition.

Only 12 percent of teens in Kansas have received all three doses of the vaccine to protect againsts HPV, which was one of the lowest rates in the country in 2013, said coalition chairman John Eplee. The Topeka Capital-Journal also reports that Kansas teens rank in the bottom quarter for meningococcal meningitis vaccination rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that boys and girls be vaccinated at age 11 or 12, before sexual activity begins. According to the CDC, most people who are sexually active at some point in their lives contract at least one form of HPV.

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