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The rate of HPV vaccination among teen boys in the United States surged in 2015, suggesting that more parents and physicians are embracing the message that it's as important for boys to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus as it is for girls. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that 49.8 percent of boys ages 13 to 17 had gotten at least one of the recommended three doses as of 2015, up 8 percentage points from 2014. The rate for teen girls rose more slowly: Almost 63 percent had gotten at least one dose, compared to 60 percent in 2014. (McGinley, 8/25)

New federal data show Rhode Island is having unparalleled success immunizing teenagers with a shot that has been a hard sell elsewhere — the vaccine against HPV, human papillomavirus. Rhode Island health officials sparked a firestorm last year by requiring that students get the HPV vaccine before entering seventh grade. The mandate was in effect for only the last few months of 2015, and applied to children younger than those in the federal study, a survey conducted in 2015 and released Thursday. Still, Rhode Island health officials said they believe the requirement contributed to the surge in adolescent vaccinations — and Massachusetts officials are watching the Ocean State’s experience as they seek to improve their own record. (Freyer, 8/26)

Exposure to gunfire, assaults and other violence may negatively impact the health of children born with HIV, according to a new Harvard University study. Researchers analyzed the medical records of 268 youths ages 8 to 15 and then asked them about their exposure to violence within the previous year. Fifty-three said they had heard gunshots on their block, for example, and 23 said they lived in a neighborhood where there had been a murder. Twenty reported that a neighbor had been hit by a police officer. (Kelly, 8/25)