Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an epidemic that is silently spreading in our country today. Currently, 20 million Americans are infected with some form of HPV; this will lead to 20,000 new cases of HPV-related cancer each year. Many believe that this disease burden disproportionately affects women: in fact, half of the cases found each year will affect women in the form of cervical cancer. However, HPV can also lead to anal, vaginal, penile, and oropharynx cancer in both men and women. HPV is also directly linked to genital and anal warts. It is because of the ever-increasing morbidity and mortality associated with HPV infection that I believe we should establish a national program to vaccinate both girls and boys against HPV during early adolescence. Legislation to implement a national program to vaccinate boys and girls against HPV is in place. our best chance to reduce some of the HPV strain on future generations. Your state, Virginia, is one of only two places in the nation that supports vaccinating children through a school opt-out program. I believe a similar model would be effective on a national scale. In summary, your state's 2007 bill requires that all girls, age eleven, receive three doses of the HPV vaccine at school or from their doctor before entering sixth grade. If parents have a religious or moral conflict with this policy, they have the option to refuse vaccination without negative repercussions. By allowing parents to opt out of the policy put in place four years ago by your state legislature, most girls across the commonwealth will be protected against HPV while preserving parents' right to refuse treatment. Of course, HPV vaccination is a controversial t...... half of paper ...... and the law has mandated that preventive vaccinations recommended by the ACIP and CDC be dispensed without the evaluation of a copay. As a result, only children who are not covered by Medicaid or private insurance will not be able to get vaccinated; Funding to cover these children could be rolled into next fiscal year's Medicaid payment schedules to each state. Developing a national mandatory HPV vaccination program may not be the easiest bill to pass in the current session of Congress. However, I believe that the burden of disease that HPV creates each year for the American healthcare system is large enough to require an alternative solution to the one we are working with today. Our children deserve it. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the content I have written above; I look forward to discussing this issue with you further.