Editorial: HPV vaccine saves lives

Share the Word during National Immunization Month

By Kelly Culwell

Every year around the world, more than 270,000 women die from cervical cancer. With more than 85 percent of these deaths in low- and middle-income countries, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide.

The “pap smear” has been one of the most amazing public health interventions over the past 50 years in the US and most developed countries, and its use has led to a steep decline in the incidence and deaths from cervical cancer. However, weak health systems and limited numbers of trained providers have made screening in low- and middle-income countries difficult. Even in the US, over 11,000 cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in 2010.

Following development of the pap smear, the discovery of the link between the human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer has proven to be a major advancement in the prevention of this deadly disease. Almost all sexually active individuals will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives and some may be repeatedly infected.

The peak time for infection is shortly after becoming sexually active. The majority of HPV infections resolve spontaneously and do not cause symptoms or disease. However, persistent infections with specific types of HPV (usually types 16 and 18) may lead to precancerous lesions. If untreated, these lesions may progress to cervical cancer.

The HPV vaccine was introduced eight years ago, and the HPV rate among teenage girls in the U.S. has already dropped by 56 percent since then.

There is, however, still a lot of work to be done. Nationwide, just 33 percent of girls ages 13 to 17 — and only 7 percent of boys in the same age group —have gotten all three doses of the vaccine. (In California, the odds are slightly better — 43 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys ages 13 to 17 have received all three doses). As a result, millions of people are still infected with HPV every year, and nearly all sexually active people will contract a form of HPV at some point in their lives.

Key facts about HPV and the HPV vaccine:

• Seventy percent of cervical cancers worldwide are caused by only two types of HPV (16 and 18).

• Our affiliate offers Gardasil — one of two FDA-approved HPV vaccines — in all of our health center.

• CDC recommends vaccination of girls and boys ages of 9 – 26.

• Routine vaccination is a series of three shots over the course of six months.

Other immunizations that are important for women of reproductive age — both for general health and prior to pregnancy — include Hepatitis B, influenza, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap), and Varicella for those who have not had chicken pox.

This National Immunization Month, share this article with your friends and family, and spread the word about the importance of getting teens vaccinated against HPV!

For more information or to make an appointment, visit planned.org or call 1-888-743-7526 (PLAN).

—Kelly Culwell is the Medical Director for Planned Parenthood of the Southwest. For more information visit planned.org.