Q: [Tween] My doctor suggested we have our tween get the new HPV vaccine, which kind of boggles our minds. He just turned 11 and is not even thinking in that direction yet! We don’t do gratuitous shots and it seems like an odd thing, especially for a boy. Can’t it wait until later in high school or if we see some signals he is thinking of girls more seriously?
A: The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent an HPV infection. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer in women. Vaccinating young women for HPV is remarkably effective. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in teenage girls appears to be dropping dramatically since the vaccine’s introduction in 2006.
Although HPV is most often associated with causing cervical cancer, which is why many people would not consider it important to vaccinate young men, HPV can also cause genital warts in boys, as well as head and neck cancers in adults of both genders. Thus, vaccinating children against HPV is an important preventive measure to decrease their chances of developing these various forms of cancers.
Recently, Keck Medicine of USC, along with 68 of the nation’s top cancer centers, recognized insufficient vaccination against HPV as a public health threat and signed a joint statement urging parents and physicians to vaccinate children against the virus in an effort to decrease instances of these types of cancers.
Most doctors recommend getting the vaccine before age of 12, but people can get vaccinated at any time between ages 9-26. The vaccine is most effective before someone is infected by HPV, so it is best to get the vaccine before having sex for the first time rather than waiting until you know your child is sexually active. Three different vaccines are available, and all of them involve receiving three doses over a six-month period. Ask your doctor about which vaccine is most appropriate for your child.
Louis A. Vandermolen, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine and the founder of the USC Norris Oncology and Hematology at Keck Medicine of USC. He has practiced medicine for over 30 years and takes pride in providing world class cancer care to residents of Orange County.
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