Tyrone native speaks on HPV prevalence in women

At the 68th Annual Epidemic Intelligenc Service (EIS)Conference, Dr. Nancy McClung presented on ‘HPV Prevalence among Females in the United States, Overall and by Race/Ethnicity in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003–2006 and 2013–2016.’

Dr. McClung, a native of Tyrone, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. She works with a team in CDC that studies the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV is a very common virus, with nearly 80 million men and women who are currently infected in the United States. HPV is sexually transmitted, and can pass between partners even when an infected person has no signs or symptoms.

As an EIS Officer, Nancy works on HPV-related projects that focus primarily on the impact of the HPV vaccine, the prevalence of the virus, and associated cancers in the United States.

“Vaccine-preventable HPV infections have decreased 86% among 14-19 year-old females in the United States and 71% among 20-24 year-olds since the HPV vaccine was introduced, and these declines are being seen in females across racial/ethnic groups,” Dr. McClung. “These findings show how well the HPV vaccine is working to prevent HPV infections, and the potential of HPV vaccination to reduce cervical cancer disparities in the future.”

Dr. McClung has a clinical background in pediatric cardiology and earned her PhD in nursing from Emory University in 2015.