Contact: Joseph Zanga, President, American College of Pediatricians, 252-744-2291

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- The American College of Pediatricians applauds the availability of HPV vaccine. We strongly oppose requiring students to obtain the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine as a requirement for public school attendance.

HPV is spread only by intercourse. Keeping children out of school because they have not been vaccinated with the HPV vaccine is a serious, precedent-setting action. It replaces parental medical decision-making with government regulation which should be reserved for the improvement of the general public health. HPV cannot innocently be "caught" in a classroom as measles or other vaccine preventable diseases can.

It is not known how long the HPV vaccine will provide protection against HPV disease. Because of this and because all potential side effects are not yet known, the College also calls for the establishment of a vaccine registry for HPV vaccine recipients.

The College's complete position statement can be found at www.acpeds.org.

For information contact Joseph Zanga, President of the American College of Pediatricians at 252-744-2291

The American College of Pediatricians' mission is "to enable all children to reach their optimal, physical and emotional health and well-being". We promote "a society where all children from the moment of their conception are valued unselfishly". The College further notes," that children are the future of our nation and society. As such, they deserve to be reared in the best possible family environment and supported by physicians committed to ensuring their optimal health and well-being."