MD Anderson HPV Vaccine Project

SBCHC Partners with MD Anderson and UTHealth for HPV Vaccination Drives at Local Middle Schools

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center selected SBCHC to implement a novel human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiative to increase the rate of early and completed HPV vaccination throughout West Houston.

To implement the grant award, SBCHC is partnering with UTHealth School Of Public Health “All for Them” program to offer the HPV vaccine events on-campus at six Spring ISD middle schools to make sure Texas adolescents have access to life-saving resources and accurate immunization information for families in our communities. SBCHC has so far held vaccine drives at four Spring ISD middles schools, with more scheduled for later in May.

“We are very excited to work with these leaders in cancer prevention and public health. Our long experience in the community gives us the unique ability to extend the reach of this initiative to area children who otherwise would have limited access to these life-saving vaccines. We are grateful to be chosen to collaborate with partners with world-class expertise to improve HPV vaccination rates in the Houston community,” says SBCHC CEO, Marlen J. Trujillo, Ph.D.

Because of COVID-19, many young people have fallen behind or missed their recommended vaccinations, and HPV vaccination rates decreased significantly while at the same time the recommended age for vaccination was lowered; so, at a time when more children should have been receiving vaccines, the opposite occurred. As part of the initiative, SBCHC will also work with other members of the statewide implementation network to share strategies, methods, and measures of success.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, HPV is extremely prevalent in adults and the cause of almost all cervical cancer. It can lead, however, to other kinds of cancers in both women and men later in life. After HPV infection, it can take years or even decades for cancer to develop, but it is impossible to know who will develop cancer or other health problems because of it. HPV vaccination at ages 11-12 prevents over 90% of these cancers, but the vaccine is approved for children as young as 9 years old. For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/about-hpv.html.