A new study has unveiled that only Virginia, Rhode Island and Washington D.C., have laws that require youngsters to have human papillomavirus (HPV) to attend schools. Researchers said HPV is not compulsory like other vaccines like hepatitis B and varicella in many states.

Virginia, Rhode Island and Washington D.C., which have laws that require youngsters to have the HPV.

Women have been recommended to protect themselves from cervical cancer and to men to lower risk of developing anal cancer and genital warts. As per experts, the best age to have the immunization is by 11 or 12-year-olds before getting intimate with another person.

Study’s co-author Jason L. Schwartz from the Princeton University in New Jersey, said, “Support for the vaccination has consistently emphasized recently that this should be treated like any other vaccination. We find that the public health community is not following its own good advice, there are clear differences compared to these other vaccines”.

For now, researchers are not able to know as to why HPV vaccination is not mandatory in other states. In 2006, the first HPV vaccine was approved and after that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Advisory Committee on Immunization practices suggested that all youngsters aged between 11 and 12 should receive the vaccine.

Eight years later just Virginia and D.C., have implemented the suggestion and Rhode Island has passed the regulation to come into effect from August. It is expected that the study will help initiate conversation to have mandatory HPV vaccine in states.