HPV vaccine bill coasts through House panel

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation requiring the state to promote availability of the human papillomavirus vaccine sailed through a House committee on Wednesday, but a bill to require it for most sixth-grade girls remains controversial.

The series of three shots is designed to protect against certain strains of HPV, a common sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer. State lawmakers agree that the public should become aware of that connection and the availability of a vaccine, but that's where the agreement ends.

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