For Immediate Release: September 13, 2011
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS STATEMENT ON HPV VACCINE
By: O Marion Burton, MD, FAAP, president, American Academy of Pediatrics

“The American Academy of Pediatrics would like to correct false statements made in the Republican
presidential campaign that HPV vaccine is dangerous and can cause mental retardation. There is absolutely no
scientific validity to this statement. Since the vaccine has been introduced, more than 35 million doses have
been administered, and it has an excellent safety record.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American
Academy of Family Physicians all recommend that girls receive HPV vaccine around age 11 or 12. That’s
because this is the age at which the vaccine produces the best immune response in the body, and because it’s
important to protect girls well before the onset of sexual activity. In the U.S., about 6 million people, including
teens, become infected with HPV each year, and 4,000 women die from cervical cancer. This is a life-saving
vaccine that can protect girls from cervical cancer.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric
medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of
infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.

http://www.aap.org
News Release