Ask the Expert:: Why is it so important for children and teens to t=get the HPV vaccine? - The Daily Progress

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Why is it so important for kids to receive the HPV vaccination, even as we deal with a pandemic?

Life can be unpredictable, and nothing has proved that more than 2020. The global pandemic has been dominating the news cycle, and everyone is now familiar with the devastation caused by viruses like COVID-19, especially the impact of asymptomatic carriers on spreading the disease. However, the fact that some cancers also can spread virally is much less well known.

Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the developed world, and it is often perceived as inevitable. Cancers that are due to certain viral infections, however, can be prevented by vaccination, providing the vaccination happens before exposure to the cancer-causing virus. Every parent should be aware of human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cancers — and that vaccination is the most potent tool they have to protect their children against these cancers.

Each year in the United States, there are 12,000 cervical cancers and nearly 40,000 other HPV-related cancers (such as head and neck cancers) diagnosed that could have been prevented by taking simple two steps: HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. Virtually everyone will be exposed to HPV in their lifetime; 80% of men and women will harbor an HPV infection at some point in their lives, and the vast majority of HPV carriers are asymptomatic.

Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer due to nearly universal adoption of HPV vaccination on top of already established screening programs. Unfortunately, the HPV vaccination rates in the U.S. are still lagging well behind those of other developed countries. According to 2019 national data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just 54.2% of adolescents were up to date on their HPV vaccination (although this is up from 40% just a few years ago). To be fully effective, vaccination must occur prior to exposure, and the best way to do that is vaccinate at the recommended ages of 11 to 12, even in the midst of a pandemic. The best offense is a good defense, as it is far easier to prevent cervical cancer (and other HPV-related cancers) than it is to cure it with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.

The CDC recommends that all girls and boys get vaccinated against HPV (https://ift.tt/2vjRGj7), and it can be done anytime from ages 9 to 26. For children younger than 15, only two doses are needed. After age 15, three doses are required, so there is some benefit to starting younger.

Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved expanded recommendations in 2018 to allow access to all adults up to age 45 if they have not previously been vaccinated (https://ift.tt/360Jt8u). Perhaps the biggest barriers to getting vaccinated are concerns for the vaccine’s safety and the lack of a strong recommendation from a physician. Large clinical trials spanning almost two decades have shown the HPV vaccine is both safe and effective, with mild side effects such as pain and swelling at the injection site or, occasionally, nausea and vomiting. As far as strong physician recommendations for HPV vaccination, every single physician organization (and public health organization) has universally recommended routine vaccination for all boys and girls.

All parents should advocate for their children to get the HPV vaccination — and even get it for themselves if they are eligible. The strongest endorsement I can provide for the HPV vaccine is that I had both of my daughters vaccinated in middle school, and I will tell anyone who will listen that everyone who is eligible should receive the vaccine.

As a gynecologic oncologist, I would love to be out of the business of having to tell women that they have cancer and that it could have been prevented. If 2020 has taught us only one thing, vaccination against viral illnesses (whether it is a pandemic or cancer) is a critical health issue both for individuals and for our entire country.

For more information about gynecologic cancer, please visit uvahealth.com/services/gynecological-cancer-surgery

Dr. Susan Modesitt is a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Virginia Cancer Center.

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