Immigrant girls and women will no longer have to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus to get their green cards.
Starting Dec. 14, the HPV vaccine will no longer be on the list of immunizations immigrants must receive before getting their green card.
Girls and women seeking to become legal permanent U.S. residents were required to get at least the first dose of the vaccine against the human papilloma virus. Protection against HPV reduces the risk of cervical cancer.
A coalition of immigrant, health and women advocates worked to get the July 2008 decision reversed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the change on Friday.
In a recent survey of more than 1,100 physicans, less than 50 percent said they always recommended the HPV vaccine to girls, 68 percent said they would recommend it to boys and only 41 percent agreed with the mandated vaccination, according to U.S. News & World Report.
