What Every Parent Should Know About the HPV Vaccine

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a prevalent sexually transmitted disease. It affects millions of teens each year, but you can protect yours with the HPV vaccine. Here’s what you need to know.

About 13 million Americans, including teens, contract human papillomavirus (HPV) infections every year. Many HPV infections go away on their own with no long-term impact on health, but some can cause certain types of cancer, including cervical, vaginal, anal, penile, and throat cancers.

The great news is that you can protect your child from this ubiquitous sexually transmitted disease (STD). The HPV vaccine, first recommended in 2006, has resulted in a dramatic reduction in infections.

Like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Wellness Pediatrics, PC in Fairfax, Virginia, our team strongly recommends the HPV vaccine for children aged 11 or 12. Vaccination can be started at age 9.

Here’s why this vaccine is important for your tween and when they should get it.

Benefits of the HPV vaccine

HPV causes an estimated 36,500 cases of cancer every year – that’s in both men and women.

The HPV vaccine is exceptionally effective, potentially preventing 33,700 of these cancer cases.

Since it was first introduced, infections with the HPV strains that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88% among teen girls and 81% among young adult women. The vaccine can prevent the vast majority of HPV-attributable cancers.

The HPV vaccinations have also reduced the number of cases of cervical precancers in young women.

The vaccine also affords long-lasting protection. Even after 12 years, people who had the HPV vaccine continued to have a high level of protection against the virus with no evidence of diminishing effects over time.

Who should get the HPV vaccine?

Boys and girls aged 11-12 should receive the first dose of the vaccine. In some cases, it may be given to children as young as 9. The second dose is administered about 6-12 months later.

Even if the first dose is given later, but before your child is 15, only two total doses are needed. We can schedule those appropriately.

In some cases, three doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended. If a person is 9-14 years old and received two doses of the HPV vaccine less than five months apart, we recommend a third dose. Those 9-26 years old with a weakened immune system also benefit from a third dose.

Older teens and young adults also benefit from getting the HPV vaccine. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC recommends that everyone through age 26 get the vaccine if not adequately vaccinated when younger.

OIder teens and young adults aged 15-26 benefit from three vaccine doses.

Scheduling the vaccine

We can administer the vaccine at most routine visits, including annual exams, sports physicals, or other vaccination visits. HPV vaccinations are well worth your time. Research supports the vaccine's safety, and the positive health effects are undeniable.

Call or request an appointment online to learn more about the HPV vaccine or to schedule your child’s first dose.