The Newest Study About the Childhood Vaccine That Prevents Cancer

Sherry Young // Adobe Stock

As a parent, ensuring your child’s health and well-being is a top priority. In so many cases this task is a marathon when you consider the cumulative health effects of diet, exercise, and providing a nurturing, loving environment. So how cool is it that there is a way to help prevent your kids from getting a terrible type of cancer, in a mere moment? That’s the miracle that is the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine… and a study released yesterday by the CDC shows it is working incredibly well!

What did the study show?

The study found that since the introduction of the HPV vaccine, the number of young women aged 20-24 years old with precancerous cervical findings decreased by 79-80%. Translation: With the rise of HPV vaccination rates, fewer young women are getting cervical cancer. That’s an incredible statistic!

Wait, back up, so what is HPV?

HPV is a virus with many, many strains. It’s also really common… in fact it is estimated that more than 50% of humans will be infected with a strain of HPV in their lifetime and most will never know. HPV is transmitted through close skin-to-skin contact, most notably during sex.

Some HPV strains cause genital warts (not fun), but that’s actually not what this vaccine was primarily designed for. The HPV vaccine targets strains of the virus that are known to be the most common cause of cervical cancer. It also helps prevent oropharyngeal (throat) cancer, penile cancer, and anal cancer.

Why is the HPV vaccine important?

Long story made short: Cancer prevention. The HPV vaccine specifically targets strains associated with deadly cancers. This vaccine is nearly 100% effective against the most notorious two strains, HPV types 16 and 18. Hardly anything in medicine has 100% efficacy… truly making this a modern miracle.

Is the HPV vaccine safe?

The vaccine was first introduced in the United States in 2006 (which is somehow almost 20 years ago, I guess time flies when you are preventing cancer). So far in the United States alone over 135 million doses have been administered, so there is an amazing amount of data to show us that this vaccine is effective and safe – every pediatrician’s favorite combination! This is on top of the rigorous clinical trials that showed it was effective and safe before it was released. The vaccine can result in dizziness at the time of injection, a short-term low fever, and some soreness. Not a terrible trade-off to prevent cancer if you ask me!

Let’s talk about a couple common myths about the HPV vaccine.

Common myth #1

The HPV vaccine encourages promiscuity. This just simply ain’t it y’all. Study after study has shown that there is no association between vaccination and sexual activity in adolescence. This is especially true if you have a healthy dialogue with your kids about their safety and health, as they should understand HPV is not the only risk associated with sex.

Common myth #2

Boys don’t need the HPV vaccine. Definitely false. I personally think the first reason is pretty obvious: It takes two to tango. The second reason being, as stated before, cervical cancer isn’t the only cancer caused by HPV. So yes, everyone benefits from this cancer preventing vaccine.

So when should my child get the HPV vaccine?

The CDC (and myself in agreement) recommends every kid receive their first dose of this vaccine in early adolescence, and kids are eligible starting at age 9. Again, this by no means assumes that anyone will be sexually active as a teenager… it’s just a standardized way to make sure everyone is protected before they are exposed to the cancer-causing virus. Think about it this way – your child gets their first tetanus vaccination at 2 months old, but that doesn’t mean you’ve given them permission to play with rusty barbed wire in their crib. That’s whack.

You may also want to get your eligible children this immunization ASAP… because the new Secretary of HHS — RFK Jr. — has a long history of spreading misinformation about the vaccine, is profiting from a law firm suing the vaccine manufacturer, and has suggested removing it from the United States market despite its proven efficacy and life-saving results.

The takeaway

The HPV vaccine is very safe, and very effective. We don’t have many surefire ways of warding off cancer, but this little miracle is an exception. To say it bluntly, by choosing to vaccinate your child against HPV, you are taking a proactive, safe, and effective step towards ensuring their health well into adulthood.

Hooray science!