HPV vaccine uptake in US teens hasn’t increased in 4 years
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HPV vaccine uptake in US teens hasn’t increased in 4 years
HPV vaccine uptake in US teens hasn’t increased in 4 years
Meghan Holohan46 minutes ago.
Childhood Vaccines
Diphtheria
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Pertussis
For the fourth year in a row, the number of US teenagers being vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) has not increased, according to survey results published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A smaller percentage of adolescents received the HPV series compared with recipients of the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (Tdap) and the conjugate meningococcal vaccine against the A, C, W, and Y strains (Men ACWY). But uptake of these immunizations declined slightly from last year.
“The consistently lower HPV vaccination coverage compared with other routine adolescent vaccines might, in part, reflect differences in school entry requirements,” wrote the authors, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Tdap is required for school entry in all states, and MenACWY is required in most states; however, few states require HPV vaccination.”
Need to address barriers to vaccination
The researchers examined data from the 2025 National Immunization Survey–Teen to understand vaccination rates in teens aged 13 to 17 years. Children aged 11 to 12 should receive a Tdap, MenACWY, and HPV vaccine (though the HPV series can be started at 9 years old), per the 2025 CDC Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.Last year, the number of teens aged 13 to 17 who received at least one dose each of Tdap and MenACWY dropped from 2024. For Tdap, the percentage of teens receiving at least one dose declined from 91.3% to 88.8%. When it came to MenACWY, the percentage dipped from 90.1% to 89.0%.
While the recent survey stated the number of teens receiving the HPV vaccine held steady from the previous four years, it did not include those data. But last year’s survey, which reflects vaccine coverage data for 2024, showed that 78.2% of teens aged 13 to 17 received one dose or more of the HPV vaccine, and 62.9% completed the series.
In 2025, 63.4% of teens in the same age-group received the entire HPV vaccine series, far lower than the Healthy People 2030 goal of 80% being fully vaccinated. And the portion receiving at least one dose dropped by a half percentage point from the year before, to 77.7%.
The percentage of teens 13 to 17 who received both doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) vaccine was 92.5%, also lower than the 95% Healthy People 2030 goal.
“Continued efforts are needed to increase adolescent vaccination coverage with recommended vaccines and reduce geographic differences in coverage, particularly with HPV vaccine,” the authors wrote. “Efforts to address barriers to vaccination, including improving access to preventive care, strengthening provider communication regarding recommendations, and increasing vaccine confidence, could help improve coverage.”