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Teen Girls Give HPV Vaccine A Shot

One out of four adolescent girls in California has received a vaccine designed to prevent the major cause of cervical cancer. The survey from the U-C-L-A Center for Health Policy Research shows awaren

Teen Girls Give HPV Vaccine A Shot

One out of four adolescent girls in California has received a vaccine designed to prevent the major cause of cervical cancer. The survey from the U-C-L-A Center for Health Policy Research shows awareness and interest in the H-P-V vaccine is high. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.

The HPV vaccine protects against human papillomavirus.

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Federal health officials recommended the vaccine for routine use in early 2007. The UCLA survey measuring the vaccine's acceptance was conducted between July 2007 and March 2008.

Survey director David Grant says he doesn't know what to make of the numbers.

David Grant: It's just hard to know what a good comparison is. There's no natural benchmark or comparison to say, 25 percent in one year is good, is bad, is about what we expected.

The survey shows more adolescent girls have received the vaccine than have young women ages 18 to 26. The vaccine is recommended for both age groups.

Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.