A Brooklyn Federal District Court judge has ruled that even in the event of a religious exemption, New York City public schools can prohibit unvaccinated children from attending school if another student has a vaccine preventable illness.

The pervasiveness of cancer-causing strands of the human papillomavirus (HPV) has dropped by half among teenage girls in the last decade, thanks to the vaccine that was just introduced in 2006. Additionally: kindly fuck off, Michele Bachmann.

Despite mounting evidence that the HPV vaccine does not, in fact, turn teens into whore monsters, more parents are crossing their arms, frowning suspiciously, and insisting to their friendly, neighborhood GP that they will not be vaccinating their daughters against HPV, thankyouverymuch.

A new HPV vaccine might help women who already have the virus, according to exciting new research.

Gardasil is mostly, probably, almost definitely safe, according to a new study that included almost 200,000 girls who'd received at least one dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine which is marketed by Merck & Co. and protects against four strains of HPV. Researchers did, however, find evidence of two unpleasant side…

All European young women should get vaccinated to protect themselves against HPV, European Union health officials quite rationally announced today.

A new study suggests, albeit with very tentative optimism, that the HPV vaccine Gardasil may offer benefits even to women who don't get inoculated through a phenomenon known as "herd immunity." (No word yet on when this herd immunity is going to start protecting that one lonely wildebeest that gets left on the wrong…

The Jezebel inbox receives all sorts of interesting messages, from helpful tips to furious gibberish. Often, the missives strike us as poetic — in the chaos of the mailbag, we can find a sense of peace. As such, we have taken it upon ourselves to let some messages grow into the poetry they are meant to be. And we will…

Whooping cough sounds like a pretty retro illness to come down with, but it's turning out to be a very modern problem. Even though we've had a vaccine for it since 1940, there's been an outbreak recently of the disease. There have been hundreds of cases reported in nine states. Washington state alone has 1,484 cases…

The HPV vaccine is extremely effective at preventing the women from developing cervical cancer, but it requires a series of three shots, ideally all given within a six-month window. Unfortunately, according to new research very few of the young women who receive the initial vaccine are following through and completing…

We've always assumed it was men's sexy faces, toned bodies, and feminist sensibilities that we women lusted after, but it turns out we might just have the hots for their immune systems. A powerful immune system might not sound as enticing as six pack abs, but in the long run it's probably more important. So it makes a…

According to some troubling new headlines out today, the HPV vaccine may make girls think they can forget about practicing safe sex because they're protected against all the nasty stuff lurking in other people's bodily fluids. Yet, just last week, parents were being assured that the vaccine doesn't turn little girls…

• In a recent survey of teenage drivers, 48% of girls admitted to routinely driving 10 miles or more over the speed limit, while only 36% of boys said the same. Furthermore, only 23% said teens make good drivers.

On September 9, a Food & Drug Administration advisory committee will consider whether Gardasil should be approved for boys and if Cervarix, another HPV vaccine approved for women in developing countries, should be sold in the U.S. [Business Week]

The makers of Gardasil are trying to get the HPV vaccine approved for boys, which is why now people are questioning the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, rather than if it makes girls slutty.

• A suburb of Tel Aviv will use DNA found in dog poop will reward and punish dog owners who properly (or improperly) dispose of their pup's droppings on the street. • Meet 5 "Fiesty" Presidential Daughters, including Margaret Truman Daniel (President Truman's daughter) who co-hosted a radio program with Mike Wallace,…

Researchers are fine-tuning an experimental breast cancer vaccine that may help eliminate 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers. The vaccine - tested in mice - eliminated tumors from HER2-positive cancer, a type of cancer that accounts for 20-30% of breast cancers. The vaccine even worked to eliminate HER2 tumors that…

When Australian schoolgirls between the ages of 12-16 in New South Wales were offered free Gardasil vaccinations, about 23 percent of the girls opted out of receiving the vaccine. While a NSW Health spokeswoman says that the rate of girls participating is "high for a new program with a three dose schedule," others…

Two girls have died after being injected with Gardasil, the drug intended to protect against HPV and cervical cancer. The causes of the deaths, which occurred in Germany and Austria, are unknown and not necessarily connected to the vaccine, but the European Medicines Agency monitors those injected. Nicholas Kitchin,…