Poll: 37 percent of parents refuse HPV vaccine or are unsure - News 12 Long Island

WOODBURY -

A new poll finds that some parents are saying no to the HPV vaccine, while others are unsure if they will have their kids vaccinated.

Jeannine Gismondi, of Oceanside, is a mother of three and a grandmother. Gismondi is also a registered nurse and says when it came time to vaccinate her kids against HPV, there was no question.

"I think it's great because there's not many vaccines out there that can prevent a virus that can cause cancer later on," says Gismondi.

Doctors say nearly all cervical cancers are caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that stands for Human papillomavirus. The Centers for Disease Control recommends the vaccine be given to girls and boys at ages 11 or 12 and for adults up to age 45.

According to a recent poll by South Nassau Communities Hospital, 37 percent of parents say they aren't going to or aren't sure if they're going to vaccinate their kids.

Dr. Aaron Glatt, of South Nassau Communities Hospital, says the vaccine is a very good public health tool.

However, critics of the vaccine don't see it that way.

I think the doctors and parents frankly need to be aware that there are serious questions as to the safety of the vaccine, says Kim Mack Rosenberg, a critic of the HPV vaccine. "There are some questions about the efficacy of it and effectiveness of it as well."

Rosenberg also points out that many people with HPV have no symptoms at all and the virus clears up on its own.

The vaccine is recommended, but not currently required for school-aged children.

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