HPV can be prevented and one of these preventative measures is the HPV vaccine. Since it became available, many health professionals have offered this vaccine to adolescent girls and young women. With the links between HPV and cervical cancer well established, this vaccine is an important aspect of the continuum of responses to the HPV virus and HPV treatment.

Here we provide X facts about the HPV vaccine:

1)     The vaccine is not necessary for young women who are not sexually active. However, many females consider it wise to still have the vaccine if there is a possibility that they will become sexually active for the vaccine can offer considerable protection against cervical cancer.

2)     As there are more than 200 identified strains of the HPV virus, there is a likelihood that 70% of us will acquire some strain of HPV in our lifetime.

3)     If a person is sexually active even once, there is a more than 50% chance that they will acquire a sexually transmitted type of HPV. There is no absolutely certain way of knowing whether a sexual partner is carrying a strain of HPV and similarly, there is often no way for an individual to know when the HPV virus has been transmitted to them.

4)     Particular types of HPV have been proven as high-risk for cervical cancer development. After infection, these strains can be dormant in the body for years until pre-cancerous lesions develop in the cervix. If these do not receive treatment they can progress to cervical cancer.

5)     Research has shown that two types of the HPV virus (Type 16 and Type 18) account for more than 70% of all cervical cancers. The HPV vaccine that is available has been developed to protect against these two types of HPV specifically.

6)     Cervarix and Gardasil are the two brands of HPV vaccine, which protect only against HPV types 16 and 18. The HPV vaccine does not provide protection against any other strains of the HPV virus that are recognised as responsible for some cervical cancers and cancer of the vagina, vulva, anus, mouth, penis and throat.

7)     Women that receive the vaccine have an initial injection and will then require several boosters. It is important that the booster injections received are of the same brand as the initial vaccine injection.

    Regardless of whether a person receives the HPV vaccine, it is vital that they are educated about HPV and the ways that it can be transmitted.

9)     Annual examinations with a health professional as well as annual pap smears are important as soon as a female becomes sexually active. Pap smears are critical because the vaccine does not prevent all cervical cancers.

10)  In November 2006, the Australian Government announced funding dedicated to a HPV vaccination program. This program is listed on the National Immunisation Program.

11)  An ongoing school-based HPV vaccination program is in existence. Under this program, the HPV vaccine is provided to 12-13 year old females in their first year of secondary school. Parental consent is required for girls to receive the vaccine.

12)  HPV vaccine is given using single use vaccines. Usually, a six month period will see three doses of the vaccine given.

13)  From 2007 – 2009, a time limited HPV vaccine catch up program was delivered through schools, general practices and community immunisation providers. As well as provision through schools, the vaccine was made available to women aged 13-26 years up until 31 December 2009.

14)  Through the National HPV Vaccination Program Register, data is collected to measure the impact of the HPV Vaccination Program on cervical cancer rates. This register also issues reminders about incomplete courses of vaccines and reminds participants when booster doses are due. Under this register, personal details are kept confidential and no information is collected about a person’s sexual history. If a person does not give permission for their personal details to be included in the register, they forego contact being made when vaccine or booster doses are missed.
It is important to be fully informed about vaccines received and the diseases they are intended to prevent. The HPV vaccine is widely offered for its capacity to prevent particular types of the HPV virus known cause cervical cancer. Although the decision to or not to immunise against this virus is up to the individual, with the significant prevalence of the virus, it follows that vaccination is most often preferable to HPV treatment.

Since the HPV vaccine became widely available in recent years, many physicians are offering it as an option to adolescent girls and young women. Whether or not your daughter should have it is something that you must decide with the advice of your physician.

If your daughter is not sexually active there is no reason for her to have the vaccine. However, if there is any chance that she will be, the HPV vaccine may be worth considering because it can offer substantial protection against cervical cancer in years to come.

HPV – or human papillomavirus – is a group of strains of a virus that all affect the outer skin layers. The virus is spread by skin to skin contact and by surface to skin contact. Researchers have identified over 200 strains to date; most of these show few or no symptoms and clear up themselves after a few months. A few strains cause cases of common warts on the hands or feet. Other strains cause genital warts. Over 40 of the strains are sexually transmitted, and in fact HPV is considered to be the most common STD on the planet!

Since over 70% of us will acquire some strain of HPV in our lifetimes – many of us more than once – and since many infections show no symptoms, the chances that your daughter acquires some type of HPV is very high. The chances that, if she is sexually active even once, she will acquire an STD type of HPV, is over 50%. There is no real way to be sure that a sex partner is not carrying a strain of HPV, and no way for your daughter to know when she has been infected.

Several types of HPV have been identified as being high-risk for the development of cervical cancer. These strains lay dormant in the body for years after the initial infection, until eventually they can cause pre-cancerous lesions on the cervix, and if left untreated full-blown cervical cancer. Researchers believe that HPV Type 16 and Type 18 are together responsible for over 70% of all cervical cancers. The HPV vaccine protects specifically against these two types.

Whether or not your daughter receives the vaccine, it is important that she be educated about HPV, which can be spread through any type of sexual activity, including oral sex and anal sex. It can be spread through penetration by objects that are contaminated with the virus. Condoms do protect, but not completely. The more partners one has, the higher risk. The less faithful one is, the higher risk. It is always important to practice responsible sex, and safe sex, to avoid infection with any type of STD. To avoid the health issues that can result from HPV infection, it is important that your daughter begin to have annual exams and pap smears, as soon as she is sexually active.

The HPV vaccine comes in two brands: Cervarix and Gardasil. It is important to understand that these protect only against types 16 and 18, but other strains are thought to be responsible – although less commonly – for cervical cancers and cancer of the vagina, vulva, anus, mouth, penis, and throat. The vaccines will not protect against these. If your daughter does get the vaccine, she will need a few boosters in addition to the initial injection, and these should all be of the same brand.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is directly responsible for up to 80% of cervical cancers detected in Australian women.

The vast majority of HPV strains go undetected and unnoticed and are quickly destroyed by our immune systems.

Although almost 250 strains of HPV have been detected, only 4 of them have been found to lead to cervical cancer. Of these, #16 and #18 are the most dangerous.

Cervical cancer is treatable in its early stages, but the problem is that it often goes undetected until the cancer is well advanced and inoperable. The HPV strains that cause cervical cancer can sit dormant for long periods of time while they slowly alter the structure of cervical cells.

Therefore, it is critical for all women between the ages of 18 and 60 who are sexually active to have regular Pap tests. A Pap smear can detect the presence of abnormal cells so that further investigations can be conducted.

What is the HPV Vaccine?

The HPV vaccine doesn’t prevent HPV; it has been developed to prevent cervical cancer that occurs as a direct result of HPV.

The vaccine was discovered by a team led by Professor Ian Frazer from the Queensland University’s Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research.

The cervical cancer vaccine available in Australia is Gardasil and a campaign is under way to vaccinate all girls and women between the ages of 12 and 18 via a schools-based program. The vaccine is administered by medical practitioners in a series of 3 injections. All 3 injections have to be completed before the vaccine can be guaranteed successful.

However, the vaccine is not guaranteed if the recipient has already been sexually active and at risk of having already been exposed to HPV.

Why is there Controversy Surrounding the Vaccine?

Various groups have opposed the vaccine in school age girls for a variety of reasons.

• The HPV vaccine has only been available for a short period of time, so the long term viability of the vaccine has not been fully investigated.
• During the clinical tests on animals, it was discovered that excessive doses of polysorbate 80, which is used as a chemical stabilizer in the vaccine, resulted in infertility in some animals. However, the doses of polysorbate 80 were administered regularly over a prolonged period of time – way more than the low doses in the vaccine.
• While limited side effects, including slight nausea or irritation around the site of the injection, have been noted in Australia, US tests have indicated that up to 3 girls have died as a result of being vaccinated. The proof is inconclusive at this stage.

While clinical tests of the HPV treatment in Australia and the US have proven to be virtually 100% effective against HPV types #16 and #18, it does not offer protection against the many other strains of HPV and won’t protect women who have had a sexual experience before the vaccine was administered.

So it remains imperative that all women over the age of 18 have a Pap smear at least once every 2 years, regardless of whether or not they have had the HPV vaccine. Medical experts suggest that women who are sexually active with a number of partners undergo Pap tests at least once every year.

The slight discomfort that a number of young girls experience when given the HPV vaccine is nothing when compared to the consequences of cervical cancer, so the solution for parents is to gather as much information as possible about HPV and its consequences and then make an informed decision.

Statistics show that most sexually active people will contract some form of sexually transmitted HPV in their lifetime. At any given point in time, 1% of the sexually active population is said to be infected with genital warts. There are several types of HPV which can affect the genitals, and only a few of them can lead to cancer, but each year, cervical cancer kills more than 200,000 women worldwide, with about three fourths of these cases stemming from venereal HPV which developed into cancer.

It is not opinion but objective truth that the HPV vaccine is an excellent discovery. There has been some unfortunate controversy over the vaccine, but there should not be. Everybody should know about the HPV vaccine.

Why a vaccine?

We’ve always had condoms, but condoms, unfortunately, aren’t 100% safe. Even a properly manufactured and applied condom does not cover the surface surrounding the genitals, which can also carry the HPV viruses. The HPV vaccine has been shown to have a nearly 100% success rate.

So why the controversy?

The vaccine is most effective for women if received between the ages of 13 and 26 and before they become sexually active. Various parties have protested the education and administration of the vaccine to young people, saying that it serves as a virtual permission slip to have unprotected, promiscuous sex.

Personal values aside, the HPV vaccine might save millions of lives. For a time, a vaccine for HPV was considered a sort of “holy grail” of medicine. As there is no cure for HPV itself, only treatment for the symptoms, people suffering HPV have, in the past, generally been forced to resign themselves to the fate of being an HPV sufferer.

With the new vaccine, this doesn’t have to happen, and there is no reason that it should.

Spreading the Word

If you would like to do your part to spread the word on the HPV vaccine, well, it’s as simple as that: Just spread the word. Many people don’t know of the vaccine yet, and you just might save a life by telling anyone you know who is becoming sexually active. For parents, when you have “The Talk” with your kids, make sure they understand the danger of venereal disease and how to protect themselves.

The importance of proper sexual education transcends personal beliefs, it is, without a doubt, not so much of a matter of personal values as a matter of life or death in many cases. With the risk associated with sex these days, we simply cannot afford to be ignorant of STDs and their preventive measures. Contrary to the misconception of some, STDs don’t only infect promiscuous people: Nobody is impervious, and everyone is at risk.

The best way to guard yourself against HPV, HIV, and other STDs, is to read up on HPV info, get all the genital warts information available, to stay on top of new developments, and to always, always practice safe sex. Ask your doctor about the vaccine, ask about other STDs, and arm yourself with information and education, because in the end, that’s all we really have in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases.

It should be noted that the HPV vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women. Talk to your doctor about your eligibility before requesting an HPV vaccination for yourself or any minors in your guardianship.