Q: I continue to see ads on television regarding young children receiving an HPV vaccine. Well, I have an 11 year old son and really want to know what this is and what the ads are all about. Can you fill in the blanks?
A: HPV is an acronym for for human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection in our country. Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV, even if they only have relations with one person since symptoms my develop literally years after having relations with an individual who is infected. So, do we know who is infected and who isn’t? No, we don’t. You see, HPV can be spread even when an infected individual is symptom free and has no signs of the disease whatsoever. Individuals with a compromised immune system such as HIV or AIDs are at an increased risk and less likely to fight many conditions, becoming more likely to develop health issues as a result.
Almost 80 million – yes million — individuals in our country are presently infected with HPV and 14 million new infections are reported annually. Consider that almost 360,000 Americans run the risk of getting genital warts each year and more than 10,000 women get cervical cancer each year,. If they were to be vaccinated, 21,000 HPV cancers could be wiped out. So why vaccinate our precious children when they are so young? The answer is to provide protection prior to them becoming sexually active and additionally to protect against mouth and throat cancers. There is a high incidence of oropharyngeal and penile cancers related to HPV so treating boys not only helps stop the spread of HPV among females but it helps protect boys from HPV related cancers.
HPV vaccination is safe and effective. It is given in three separate doses over a six month period and it is extremely important that all three doses are given in order to assure effectiveness. In fact, even the CDC, (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) urges parents to have their children vaccinated. It is also recommended for gay men and gay women and bisexuals through the age of 21 and for females through the age of 26 if not vaccinated earlier. Lastly, the vaccine is recommended for men and women through the age of 26 who have a compromised immune system.
There is testing that can be performed to screen for cervical cancer but even these tests are recommended for women 30 years of age and older. They are not recommended for adolescents or for women under the age of 30. And surprisingly, the condition is so common that near all sexually active men and women will develop HPV at some point during their lifetime. Cancer may take years and even decades to develop following being infected with HPV. .
Gardasil, the current HPV vaccine, is effective against 70% of cervical and other HPV-related cancers. It also protects against most cases of genital warts. And with research comes progress. An even more effective vaccine may be on the horizon, according to new research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. It will protect against nine types of HPV and 90% of cervical cancers according to an associate professor of gynecology at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. The information is being reviewed by our FDA before a decision is made, hopefully by the end of 2014 with a newer, more effective vaccine to follow shortly thereafter.
Speak with your child’s pediatrician to determine his or her views on protecting your children. Together you can make the right decision.
