A new study revealed that a large number of doctors have not been encouraging preteens to get the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause reproductive cancer.

According to a report from the Wall Street Edge, the research team was led by Dr. Allison Kempe, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, Dec. 4.

The survey, which included 582 family doctors and pediatricians, sought to identify the practices related to HPV, including the prevalence of preventive treatment such as vaccination. It discovered that many doctors do not actively encourage preteens to take the vaccine.

In general, there is reluctance in the industry to promote its benefits to the youth and their families. Over a third of the participating physicians hold back in compelling kids to take the vaccine, especially male patients. Reasons for not stressing the importance of the shot include physicians' belief that it is not yet necessary or in deference to parents.

However, it's been shown that the vaccination is most effective when taken at the age of 11 or 12, and when the patient is still a virgin. The report also pointed out that approximately a third of kids under the age of 16 have already had sexual intercourse, highlighting the need for the HPV vaccination to be taken as early as possible.

In a report from WISN, Dr. Lyn Ranta, director of physician affairs at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, explained that the importance of the HPV shots.

"We need to remember that most of us decide to be sexually active at some point in our life," Ranta said. "Sometimes that sexual activity isn't even consensual, so you really want to make sure that our children are protected long before they ever think about having or involving themselves in a sexual relationship."

The lack of stress from the doctors' end may have contributed to the low immunization rates at present. According to the Wall Street Edge, a study from the National Immunization Survey - Teen in 2014 revealed that about six out of 10 boys and four out of 10 girls, aged 13 to 17, are unvaccinated.

The report continued that around 14 million people get HPV infections annually in the United States, and the total number has already hit 79 million individuals, most of them in their early 20s or late teens.

The virus can reportedly cause cervical or reproductive cancers. It's also been tagged by the Centers for Disease Control as the most common sexually transmitted virus in the country, according to the WISN report.