Why Is Cervical Cancer Still Killing Thousands of Women a Year?

The tepid uptake level of the HPV vaccine since it was rolled out in 2006 also plays a role. But many parents refuse them for their preteens because of safety worries or the fear that vaccination will promote sexual activity—two common misconceptions, says Sean O’Leary, M.D., M.P.H.and Children’s Hospital Colorado who studies barriers to vaccination. Just 61% of adolescents are up to date on HPV vaccination, compared with greater than 90% for other childhood vaccines like those against measles and polio. “It’s a tragedy, because there are people who are going to get cancers that could have been prevented,” he says.