H
uman papillomavirus (HPV)
is the most common sexually
transmitted virus in the
United States. Nearly all sexually
active people are infected with HPV
at some point in their lives, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
But vaccination can help prevent
HPV and the cases of cancer, genital
warts and other health problems it can
cause.
To work best, the vaccine needs
to be given before someone
gets infected with HPV. So CDC
recommends it for all girls and boys
age 11 or 12.
THETOLL OF HPV
Most HPV infections go away on their
own without causing symptoms or
requiring any treatment. But some can
persist and do great harm.
HPV—
What Parents
Should Know
Health problems that may be caused
by HPV include:
Cervical cancer—HPV is the main cause
of this disease
Vaginal and vulvar cancers
Penile cancer
Anal and oropharyngeal cancers
Genital warts
There are more than 150 types of
HPV, and only certain ones are linked to
cancer or genital warts. These include
HPV types 16 and 18, which together
may be responsible for 70 percent of all
cervical and anal cancers, according to
the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
These two HPV strains also cause certain
vaginal and vulvar cancers.
HPV type 16 can also trigger cancers
of the tongue, tonsils, throat and soft
palate. And types 6 and 11 cause most
genital warts.
DIFFERENTVACCINE BRANDS
Two vaccines are available to protect
against HPV. They are marketed
as Gardasil and Cervarix.
Both vaccines are highly
e ective against the
diseases caused by
HPV types 16 and 18,
according to CDC.
Both vaccines are also safe.
Testing has revealed
no serious side e ects from either
vaccine brand, according to the NIH.
The vaccines do have important
di erences though. While both boys
and girls can be vaccinated with
Gardasil, only girls can be vaccinated
with Cervarix.
Your child’s doctor can recommend
the vaccine that will be best.
A SERIES OF SHOTS
To work their best, these vaccines
must be given in three doses over a
six-month period. They should also be
given long before a young person is
sexually active, according to CDC.
Although the vaccines can prevent
future HPV infections, they don’t help
eliminate an existing HPV infection.
And it is possible for someone to
become infected with HPV the very
rst time he or she is sexually active.
(Remember, most people who have
HPV don’t have symptoms.)
Though both brands of the vaccine
are routinely given at age 11 or 12,
they can be safely given to children as
young as 9, according to CDC. Both can
also be safely given through age 26. If
your child needs catch-up vaccinations,
speak to his or her health care provider.
Vaccination can help protect your child
fromgenital warts and certain types of cancer
Talk to your doctor
For more information on the HPV vaccine,
talk with your child’s doctor. If your child
needs a doctor, visit
valleycare.com/physician nder
.
ValleyCare.com/maternity | Spring 2014
