BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP): New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the HPV vaccination rates for boys and girls ages 13 to 17 in Indiana remain below the national averages.

More than 44 percent of the state's teenage girls have received the full dose of the HPV vaccine, compared to 60 percent nationwide. Indiana is among the top 10 least-vaccinated states for teenage boys, with nearly 13 percent of them fully vaccinated, compared to 40 percent nationwide.

But Dr. Gregory Zimet, co-director of Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis' Center for HPV Research, says the nation's overall HPV vaccination rates for both genders are increasing.

The Herald Times reports that HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses, can cause genital warts and several forms of cancer.