HPV VACCINATION: INCREASING PARENTAL AWARENESS ON PREVENTING CANCER IN THEIR CHILDREN

Abstract

HPV is responsible for almost all cervical, anal, oropharynx, penile, vaginal cancers and 90% of genital warts (Rahman, Laz, McGrath, & Berenson, 2014). HPV infection often occurs shortly after initiation of sexual activity. In one study of college-aged women, the cumulative incidence of any HPV infection at 1 year after sexual intercourse was 28.5%, and increased to almost 50% by 3 years (Wang & Palefsky, 2015). HPV is usually transmitted through vaginal or anal intercourse, but it can occur through oral-genital or genital-genital contact as well (Wang & Palefsky, 2015). Currently in the United States, there are three vaccines approved for the prevention of HPV. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends routine administration of HPV vaccine at ages 11 and 12 for girls and boys, with catch-up vaccinations through age 26 for females and age 21 for males.