HPV vaccine, mental illness care, APHA on social determinants

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NBC NewsPre-teens need just two doses of HPV vaccine, not three: feds
There’s good news for kids who haven’t received all their HPV vaccines yet – they only need two doses of the vaccine instead of three, federal government advisers said Wednesday. The new recommendations should make it easier to get more children vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes a range of cancers including cervical cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer, officials said.

Fox NewsMore than half of US adults with mental illness don’t get needed care
Health care reform has expanded mental health care coverage for Americans, an annual report released this week suggests, but about 56 percent of U.S. adults with a mental illness still do not receive treatment.

New York TimesReported cases of sexually transmitted diseases are on rise
There were more cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported in the United States last year than ever before, according to new federal data. Rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis — three of the most common S.T.D.s — grew for the second consecutive year, with sharper increases in the West than other regions. And while all three diseases are treatable with antibiotics, most cases continue to go undiagnosed, potentially causing infertility and other problems.

Modern Healthcare – (Featuring APHA) HHS calls for more funding and data-sharing to improve public health efforts
Public health leaders are lauding HHS’ call for money and data to drive stronger health initiatives that take into account social determinants. HHS said in a white paper released Tuesday that funding reductions have strained local public health agencies and prevent them from addressing issues such as HIV prevention and infant mortality in some of the country’s poorest communities. The paper, which outlined the initiative called Public Health 3.0, looks at income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and place of residence. The initiative is the next step of the Obama administration’s Healthy People 2020.