It was numbers like these in Texas at risk communities that convinced Rick Perry and the Texas legislature to push for HPV virus vaccinations for teenage girls.
In some “at risk” demographic communities (ie inner city ghettos, and barrios), HPV and herpes is way past epidemic proportions due to irresponsible sex practices by kid at very early ages who are too young to grasp the risks of their behavior. , It's close to 80% or more in some at risk areas and it's breaking out of these high risk areas into the general public. Like herpes simplex virus there is no treatment for HPV and it causes cancer and many other serious medical conditions in women
This is a serious public health issue and as everyone knows it is hard to attack the problem from a abstinence strategy for any teenager, much less very young and ignorant inner city teens where pregnancy and STD rates are off the charts.
It is the Governor's job to deal with public health emergencies and this is a legitimate emerging health emergency. At least Perry did try to take decisive action to try to deal with the situation in the only practical, pragmatic way available to him.
The real issue is that the problem of widespread early teen sex is creating both a huge teen pregnancy rate and a huge teen STD rate for the same reason-kids, especially very young ones in 6-9th grade, are just not ready to manage their behavior.So pregnancy and STDs especially HPV and herpes, are out of control in some of the inner city communities and especially the Black community.
If look at the statistics you will be stunned, I sure was.