Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Health & Human Services to hold a committee hearing to investigate the issue of vaccines for Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in Philadelphia public schools and health centers.

WHEREAS, Affecting 20 million people nationally, including one in four 15 to 24 year-olds, HPV is the nation's most common sexually transmitted disease; and

WHEREAS, Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types; and

WHEREAS, Some of these viruses are called “high-risk” types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 20 million people are currently infect with HPV. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some ppoint in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year; and

WHEREAS, A vaccine, called Gardasil, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in August 2006, protects against 70% of four strains of HPV that are responsible for 70% of HPV infections; and

WHEREAS, The Governor of Texas, has recently issued an executive order that calls on this vaccine to be made readily available in Texas public schools; now therefore

RESOLVED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA

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Authorizes City Council's Committee on Public Health & Human Services to hold a committee hearing to investigate the issue of HPV vaccines in Philadelphia public schools and health centers.

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