Anti-cancer vaccine a reality with HPV prevention

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Wouldn’t it be great if your children and grandchildren could get a shot that would prevent cancer?

Guess what? There is such a vaccine for the prevention of the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infections that cause cervical cancer.

There is a knowledge gap when it comes to this particular vaccine. Many people are still under the misconception that the vaccine is only for girls, thinking that males don’t have a cervix, so they can’t get the cancer.

But boys and men do get HPV infections that cause cervical cancer, and HPV is spread through sexual contact. Therefore, vaccinating both boys and girls starting around age 11 will prevent the spread of HPV among your child’s peer group.

This will decrease the chances that your daughter will become infected by a man who didn’t ever get the vaccine.

Besides the HPV infection, other risk factors for cervical cancer include sexual contact at an early age, many sexual partners, smoking cigarettes, long term use of oral contraceptives and a high number of childbirths.

There are two vaccines approved for the prevention of the most common types of HPV infection, and these vaccines are available at all of the clinics in Dallas County.

Ann Cochran is the Health Navigation Coordinator at the Dallas County Public Health Department.

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