Community Corner

79 Million Adults Have This Virus, Should Your Kid Get the Vaccine?

You can't get rid of HPV once you get it (usually it's sexually transmitted), but those aged 26 and under can avoid it by getting a vaccine. Should your child get it?

There's no way to get rid of the human papillomavirus if you get it, and there are more than 100 types. But anyone up to age 26 can be vaccinated for it.

For women, HPV can be serious because some types can cause cervical cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that boys and girls starting at ages 11 and 12 get three shots of the virus. That will help prevent cancer in girls when they grow up and will prevent boys from transmitting the disease if they become sexually active later in life.

“Medical and scientific experts agree that the vaccine is most effective when it is administered early, in part because the full vaccine has to be administered prior to any possible exposure,” said Dr. Timothy Spurrell, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “The danger of HPV is that it can lead to more serious diseases, with two subtypes causing 70 percent of cervical cancer. It is important parents vaccinate their children for HPV early.”

For various reasons, many parents aren't getting their kids vaccinated.

Should they?

This collection of articles from Patch and elsewhere on the Web, along with information about HPV from authoritative websites, may help you decide.

If you know of other articles or information Patch readers should look at, please post a comment here, and you can past in a link.


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