NDIIS Sentinel Site Coordinator

Background:
On June 8, 2006, the FDA licensed a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for females between the ages of 9 and 26. ACIP recommends girls 11-12 years of age receive HPV vaccine and all females between 13-26 years of age follow a catch-up schedule. HPV vaccine is a three dose series with the second and third doses following the first by two and six months, respectively.

Objectives:
To describe the uptake of HPV vaccine in ND following licensure.

Methods:
Providers record HPV vaccine doses administered in the North Dakota Immunization Information System (NDIIS). The number of HPV doses administered each month was charted. Age at date of last immunization was also examined. Records obtained from NDIIS and US Census data were used to determine the number of females immunized.

Results:
NDIIS recorded 34,983 HPV immunizations to 17,020 people. Of the 34,983 HPV vaccinations, 15,062 (43.1%) were given in 2008 as of September 19, 18,279 (52.3%) were given in 2007, and 1,608 were given in 2006. Of the 14,053 females with at least one dose of Gardasil, 5,513 received three or more doses, 3,696 received two doses, and 4,754 received one dose. Seven percent of females between the ages of 9 and 26 are fully vaccinated with at least three immunizations and ten percent are partially vaccinated. Females between 13 and 15 years of age had the highest vaccination rate with 29.7% initiating the series and 13.3% fully vaccinated.

Conclusions:
A majority of HPV vaccine is going to the licensed age groups, but coverage levels remain low. Many of the vaccine recipients are not receiving the full series, leaving these people vulnerable to HPV. There is a steady rise in HPV doses administered, but a substantial increase has yet to be observed. HPV vaccine uptake should continue to be observed in order to drive educational efforts.