I chose this article HPV in inner city teenagers because I remember hearing about the vaccine at the end of high school and being told it was probably too late for me to have the vaccine! I was interested in find out how many girls are getting the vaccine these days. I plan to have all my children, boys included vaccinated against HPV. As future health professional I may also find myself in the position to recommend the vaccine to the patients or clients I work with.
The article states that the current recommendations are to vaccinate young people before they become exposed to HPV. However women up to the age of 26 may “catch up” and get vaccinated. Only about a third of adolescent women have had all three doses of vaccine as recommended. While cervical HPV rates are highest among young women, rates of infection in other parts of the body (e.g, mouth, anus) are currently being examined. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HPV in the three main sites on the body in a group of young unvaccinated inner city women.
METHODS
Participants
In the Bronx, New York City, 97 sexually active women aged 15-22 were enrolled in the study at Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center between July 2005 and March 2006. All women coming in for gynecological exams, sexually transmitted infection treatment or screening, and follow up for abnormal pap smears or genital warts were included. The women in the study were

 mostly African American (54%) and Latina (39%) with an with a median age of 19. The median age for losing virginity was 14. Most (82%) reported having 3 more sexual partners. Almost half, forty-seven percent, had contracted a sexually transmitted infection before. Over a third had atypical pap results as well as having previously being diagnosed with chlamydia.
All the young women provided cervical and anal specimens collected using “Thin Prep” using a