By Tiffany Switzer
If there were a vaccine against cancer wouldn’t you get it for your kids?
Good news! The HPV vaccine can prevent several types of cancers, including cervical cancer, and is available through most primary care providers and San Juan Basin Health. Unfortunately, there are lingering stigmas and misconceptions associated with this vaccine that may be preventing parents from pursuing this potentially life-saving vaccine for their children.
First, some background on HPV; HPV is short for human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It is so common that most sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV with 14 million new genital HPV disease cases in the United States each year. About half of these new cases are occurring in 15- to 24-year-olds, totaling about 19,178 teens and young adults each day.
In most cases, HPV goes away on its own and does not cause any health problems. However, in other cases, HPV can cause cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers in females and anal, throat and mouth cancer in both males and females. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts in both males and females. HPV often has no visible signs or symptoms, so many people who have the virus don’t even know it. And there’s no way to predict who will or won’t clear the virus.
One of the most common misconceptions is that the vaccine is for girls and young women. Girls and women have been the focus of HPV prevention because of the risk of cervical cancer for women; however, HPV can cause health problems for boys and men as well. It is estimated that 50 percent of sexually active males will be infected with the HPV virus, indicating the importance for vaccinating both girls and boys.
Probably the most damaging misconception is the belief that the HPV vaccine is for sexually active teens. Actually, almost the opposite is true: The HPV vaccine is recommended for boys and girls at ages 11 and 12 because the vaccine produces the highest immune response at this age, and because the vaccine must be given before exposure to the virus for it to be effective in preventing cancers and other diseases. This means that the vaccine is more effective before your children are sexually active.
Armed with this information, protect your children with the three-shot HPV series. Each vaccine is dosed in three rounds over six months. If people did not start the vaccine series at the recommended ages of 11 or 12, they are still encouraged to get vaccinated up to the age of 26.
At San Juan Basin Health, we are here to support you in helping your children reach their fullest potential of health. Parents are encouraged to get their children vaccinated through their primary care provider, however a limited supply of HPV vaccines for low-income or uninsured people is available.
Appointments in Durango can be scheduled Tuesday through Thursday by calling 335-2013 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. Appointments in Pagosa Springs are available the first Thursday of every month. Call 264-2409 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule.
For more information about the vaccine, visit www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine.html.
Tiffany Switzer is the clinic manager at San Juan Basin Health.
