If you could give your child a simple HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccination that protects females against 90 percent of cervical cancers and both females and males against back of the throat, tonsils and genital warts would you take advantage of the vaccine? Sadly, only 40 percent administer it to females and 21 percent to males ages 13 to 17, which is the most ideal age band for the vaccination. And yet, in that same group, 88 percent are vaccinated against tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis, and 79 percent for meningitis.
HPV is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, and nearly every sexually active person becomes infected at some time in life.
One common argument against vaccination is the totally disputed belief vaccinations cause autism. There is only one vaccine for HPV, and the CDC unequivocally states that clinical trials have shown them to be very safe.
Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, about 14 million Americans become infected with HPV, most of them teenagers or young adults, and a cancer caused by HPV is diagnosed in an estimated 17,600 women and 9,300 men.
An HPV vaccination is highly recommended for your teen.