HPV Vaccine School Entry Requirement in Puerto Rico: Historical Context, Challenges, and Opportunities

Despite the lower prevalence of anal cancer in Puerto Rico, men who have sex with men (MSM), people living with HIV, and women with HPV-related gynecological cancers are at higher risk of developing this malignancy (1,2). [...]the incidence of penile cancer is twice as high, and the mortality rate is 3 times as high among Puerto Rican men compared with men from other racial and ethnic groups in the US (3). Paving the Way for the Policy: Grassroots Movements and Other Organizations Parallel with these scientific efforts to estimate the impact of HPV in Puerto Rico, grassroots movements have promoted educational campaigns and outreach activities to increase HPV vaccine uptake and awareness at the community level, as well as developed training opportunities among health care professionals. Adopting this policy took many years and much groundwork (eg, legislation, education) to accomplish. [...]the death of a young mother of 3 from cervical cancer in 2015 catalyzed a movement led by VOCES to advance the work surrounding HPV vaccination (5). During this activity, the key informants’ recommendations were to 1) inform parents about the pros and cons of the vaccine; 2) actively use social media as a channel for dissemination of reliable information, acknowledging how this media is also used to spread misinformation; 3) train school staff; and 4) identify a central-figure school staff member who can follow up on the completion of doses and guide the parents.