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This doesn’t make it any less vexing for Hawaii health professionals advocating for the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, but this state is not alone in its slow adoption of the cancer-prevention treatment.
Nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control, just 37.6 percent of teenage girls and only 13.9 percent of teenage boys have completed the HPV three-dose vaccination regimen. Hawaii’s rate — 38 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys — is better but still worrisome to folks at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
The big mistake, experts now say, was that it was pushed first for girls only and imagined as inducement to sexual activity for those girls.
The CDC is looking at ways to fix that. Meanwhile, parents should listen carefully before opting in or out.
Oh, how we miss those tradewinds
Keep that fan or AC handy, as Hawaii’s hot and humid weather is expected to linger.
Thankfully, the latest hurricane/tropical storm threat has dissipated — for now — but hot air temperatures, in tandem with warmer ocean temperatures and lighter-than-usual trade winds, are expected to keep things muggy and sticky.
So for now, dig into that cache of bottled water stored up from previous warnings this hurricane season and stay hydrated.
Just keep a wary ear out for news of brewing storms and get ready with restocked supplies.