Is Your Child Ready for the HPV Vaccine?
- The Gardasil-9 vaccine is approved for children and adults ages 9 to 45.
- The vaccine protects against human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer in the United States.
- It may prevent 90% of all cervical cancers.
- Getting vaccinated in childhood can protect kids from getting infected later in life.
Read More“HPV vaccination is the single greatest anti-cancer move we can make for our children today.”
At What Age Should Vaccinations Happen?
The original FDA approval of the Gardasil-9 HPV vaccine included young people ages 9 to 26, but it has since been expanded to include men and women ages 27 to 45. When given in two doses, spaced 6 to 12 months apart, the vaccine can prevent more than 90% of HPV- related cancers.
Kids as young as 9 can get Gardisil, and the earlier the better, says Dr. Rimel. “The immune system of children is very robust and their ability to create a long, lifelong immunity based on a vaccination is greater than in the adult body.”
Still, contemplating a vaccine that protects against a sexually transmitted infection might give parents pause. “A lot of parents wonder about vaccinating their children for HPV, because they recognize that HPV transmission is primarily through sexual contact,” Dr. Rimel says.
For any parent who is on the fence, she says the virus can pass from person to person through any type of sexual contact, not just intercourse. And once someone has been infected with HPV, it can’t be reversed.
Rimel is so convinced about the benefits of the HPV vaccine that she’s had both of her children vaccinated. “The best thing I can do to protect them is provide them with vaccination that prevents them from picking up an HPV that’s going to cause them harm in the future,” she says. “HPV vaccination is the single greatest anti-cancer move we can make for our children today.”
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