HPV legislation in District of Columbia

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Women in Government Ratings

Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" [1]:


POPULATION: 853,476


Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

  • Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 13.3/100,000 (0 / 1)
  • Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 8.1 , Black: 12.4
  • Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.7/100,000 (1 / 0)
  • Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 1.3 , Black: 4.8


Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

  • Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 89.4% (2 / 2)
  • Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 90.8%, Black: 88.9%, Hispanic: 86.9%
  • % Uninsured/Unscreened: 29.2% (1 / 1)
  • Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)


Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

  • Rate Uninsured Women: 12% (1 / 1)
  • % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 20%


Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 1)

  • There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 0)

  • There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (2 / 2)

  • The DC City Council passed a measure to establish an HPV vaccination program for 6th grade girls in 2009; Mayor Fenty signed the measure but it requires congressional approval to be finalized.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

  • There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 0)

  • There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

  • The District of Columbia passed a mandatory vaccination program but postponed the launch until fall 2009; it will launch a public education campaign in the meantime.


Annual Ratings

  • 2008: Fair (10 out of 22 points)
  • 2007: Fair (8 out of 18 points)


Articles and resources

SourceWatch Resources

External links

References