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When it comes to their kids, parents are always planning. Healthy dinners. Safe activities. One plan that\u2019s easy to make could have a tremendous benefit, even saving a life. That\u2019s planning to have preteens vaccinated against HPV, the leading cause of cervical and anal cancers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are about 12,000 new cervical cancer cases each year in the United States,\u201d said Dr. Melinda Wharton, deputy director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). \u201cCervical cancer causes about 4,000 deaths in U.S. women each year. But vaccinating boys and girls against HPV greatly reduces the chances that today\u2019s girls will ever have to face this devastating disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
CDC recommends HPV vaccination for 11- and 12-year-old girls and boys, as well as for young women ages 13 through 26 and young men ages 13 through 21 who have not yet been vaccinated.<\/p>\n
Two HPV vaccines\u2014Cervarix and Gardasil\u2014are available for girls to protect against the HPV types that cause most cervical and anal cancers. Gardasil also protects against the HPV types that cause most genital warts.\u00a0 Gardasil is the only vaccine approved for boys.<\/p>\n
Both brands of HPV vaccine are given in three doses (shots) over six months, and protection requires all three doses. \u201cCompleting the three-dose HPV vaccine series is very important to ensure protection against HPV-related disease,\u201d Dr. Wharton said.<\/p>\n
While vaccinating against a sexually transmitted virus at age 11 or 12 might seem unnecessary, the preteen years are the best<\/i> time to vaccinate. \u201cThe HPV vaccine only provides protection if it is given before exposure to HPV,\u201d said Dr. Wharton. \u201cSomeone can be infected with HPV the very first time they have sexual contact with another person.\u201d To get the most benefit from HPV vaccination, all three doses must be received before any kind of sexual activity with another person begins.<\/p>\n
Atlanta mom Amber Zirkle recognizes the importance of vaccinating her children now for protection they\u2019ll need in the future. Her 11-year-old daughter will get an HPV vaccine this year at her regular checkup. As for getting an HPV vaccine for her 16-year-old son, Amber said, \u201cI didn\u2019t know it was available for boys. I’ll talk with the pediatrician about it.\u201d She added, \u201cGenital warts aren\u2019t something I want my son to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other vaccines recommended specifically for preteens include meningococcal conjugate, which protects against bacterial meningitis, and Tdap, which boosts immunity against pertussis (whooping cough). Everyone age six months and older should get an annual flu vaccine.<\/p>\n