Introduced less than seven years ago and at times controversial, the human papillomavirus vaccination (better known as HPV vaccine) has joined the list of other vaccines curbing serious diseases in the U.S.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the HPV virus is spread through sexual contact. The virus has no symptoms and most who are infected are unaware they have it.
Every year, about 79 million Americans become infected with HPV, and there are nearly 40 strains of the HPV virus. While some strains can lead to genital warts, others are the leading causes of cervical cancer in women and oropharyngeal or throat cancer in men.
HPV causes nearly 19,000 cases of cancer a year in women as well as an estimated 8,000 annual cases in men.
The HPV vaccine helps prevent the virus through a series of three injections. Kris King, nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Northwest, said the injections occur on a set schedule: two months between the first and second, and then four months between the second and third injections.
The CDC has recommended routine vaccination for boys and girls ages 11-12, although children as young as 9 years old and young adults up to age 26 can receive the vaccine. It’s effective in preventing four different strains known as HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11.
“HPV 6 and 11 are low-risk types, meaning that there is a very small chance that it would spread to high-grade dysplasia or invasive cancers,” said Dr. Cheryl Saenz, gynecologic oncology specialist at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
Saenz said the 6 and 11 strains are responsible for 90 percent of genital warts. However, the 16 and 18 strains are known as high-risk HPV types.
“They account for 70 percent of cervical cancers,” she said, as well as 90 percent of vaginal and vulvar cancers and 60 to 70 percent of anal cancers in the U.S.
In 2011, the topic of HPV became a political controversy when then-presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., claimed the HPV vaccine was linked to mental retardation. That assertion was swiftly debunked by many medical practitioners who said the vaccine has minimal side effects.
Another misconception comes from parents who view the vaccine as a pathway to promiscuity. King said that shouldn’t be the focus.
“Like Hepatitis B, you don’t plan on your child being exposed to bodily fluids, blood or needles, but you still get the vaccine,” she said. “Like tetanus, you don’t plan on stepping on a nail, but you still set up for prevention. HPV is much more common than hepatitis or tetanus.”
Saenz said the epidemic should be addressed as a public health issue instead of a female-centric problem since 80 percent of the U.S. population has been exposed to HPV, and 75 percent of new infections occur in individuals between the ages of 16-26, regardless of gender.
“That age group tends to not see their health provider as often,” she said. “Most vaccines in life are given in early infancy and early childhood. So I think there is a difficulty to bring that age group in the doctor’s office.”