UNITED STATES: Immigrant Seekers Won't Have to Get HPV Vaccine

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

UNITED STATES: Immigrant Seekers Won't Have to Get HPV Vaccine

Associated Press (11.16.09) - Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Anabelle Garay

Effective Dec. 14, immigrant females ages 11-26 will no longer be required to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) to become legal permanent US residents. Since July 2008, these women and girls had to obtain at least the first dose of the vaccine before their immigration status could be changed. However, CDC on Friday adopted new criteria for determining which shots are required, excluding those that do not protect against diseases outbreaks.

In addition to dropping HPV shots from green-card requirements, the revised policy change means the herpes zoster vaccine to prevent shingles will no longer be required for immigrants age 60 or older.

"They are not easily transmissible," explained Dr. Katrin Kohl, deputy director of CDC's division of global migration and quarantine. "They don't fit into the whole public health spirit of outbreak prevention."

"More than half of the immigrants who come to the US seeking opportunity are women," said Silvia Henriquez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. "We thank the CDC for restoring their dignity and reproductive justice."

Priced at $400-$1,000 for the three-dose series, the HPV vaccine added a significant financial burden for applicants already facing thousands of dollars in expenses for application fees and mandatory medical exams. Insurance companies do not cover health services required for immigration, advocates say.

Other criteria CDC will use in determining green-card requirements include that the vaccine must protect against a disease with the potential to cause an outbreak, has been eliminated in the United States, or is in the process of being eliminated.
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