HPV Vaccine – Human Papillomavirus
The disease
Genital human papilloma virus (HPV), is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. There are about 40 types of HPV. About 80 million people in the U.S are infected with another 14 million who will get infected each year.
Most HPV infections don’t cause any symptoms and go away on their own. But HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world. HPV can cause several less common types of cancer in both men and women. It can also cause genital warts and warts in the upper respiratory tract. There is no treatment for HPV infection, but the conditions it causes can be treated. Getting the HPV vaccine can help prevent infection.
The vaccine
The human papillomavirus vaccine is an inactivated (killed) vaccine that is given to protect against seven HPV types of the virus that cause 80% of cervical cancers. This vaccine can be given to both females and males.
Women will still need cervical cancer screenings because the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV. Knowing when to get the HPV vaccine is an important part of prevention. The vaccine is routinely recommended for girls and boys 11–12 years old. It may be given as young as 9 years of age through 26 years. There is a HPV vaccine schedule. It is given as a 2 or 3 dose series, depending on which age the first dose was given.
