When girls — yes, and boys — are ages 9-12, they are not likely to worry, or think at all, about cervical cancer. It’s up to doctors to speak with their parents or guardians and have them make sure their children get the HPV vaccine before they start having sex.The good news, KOAT health expert Dr. Barry Ramo says, is that the vaccine is so effective that it has the potential to eliminate the disease altogether.”Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by the HPV virus,” Ramo said. “That virus can lie in the cervix for many decades. The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, eliminates 90% of the high-risk strains that cause cervical cancer. Large population studies have demonstrated that not only does it prevent infection, it reduces the risk for precancerous lesions as well as cervical cancer.”The Centers for Diseases and Prevention/Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that the vaccination be administered to these people:– Routine vaccination: (girls and boys) age 11-12 (can start age 9)– Catch-up vaccination: ages 13-26– Ages 27-45 (shared decision following after talking with your doctor) — Immunocompromised individualsDr. Ramo said that by following these guidelines, this disease could eventually become a thing of the past. “The combination of the HPV vaccine and the home cervical cancer test offers the possibility of the elimination or cervical cancer completely,” Ramo said.
When girls — yes, and boys — are ages 9-12, they are not likely to worry, or think at all, about cervical cancer. It’s up to doctors to speak with their parents or guardians and have them make sure their children get the HPV vaccine before they start having sex.
The good news, KOAT health expert Dr. Barry Ramo says, is that the vaccine is so effective that it has the potential to eliminate the disease altogether.
“Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by the HPV virus,” Ramo said. “That virus can lie in the cervix for many decades. The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, eliminates 90% of the high-risk strains that cause cervical cancer. Large population studies have demonstrated that not only does it prevent infection, it reduces the risk for precancerous lesions as well as cervical cancer.”
The Centers for Diseases and Prevention/Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that the vaccination be administered to these people:
— Routine vaccination: (girls and boys) age 11-12 (can start age 9)
— Catch-up vaccination: ages 13-26
— Ages 27-45 (shared decision following after talking with your doctor)
— Immunocompromised individuals
Dr. Ramo said that by following these guidelines, this disease could eventually become a thing of the past.
“The combination of the HPV vaccine and the home cervical cancer test offers the possibility of the elimination or cervical cancer completely,” Ramo said.
