Vaccine (Shot) for Human Papillomavirus

Pronounced [hu-man pap-il-lo-ma-vi-rus]

When should my child get the shot?

11-12 Years

• Two doses of the HPV shot are needed, 6-12 months apart.
• If the shots are given less than 5 months apart, a 3^rd dose is needed.

If started after 15^th birthday

• Three doses of the HPV shot should be given over 6 months.
• If your teen hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet, talk to his/her doctor about getting it as soon as possible.

Why does my child need the HPV shot?

• Protects against infections that can lead to certain cancers.
• Protects against abnormal cells that can lead to cancer (precancers) and the lasting effects of testing and treatment for these precancers.
• Protects your child long before they are ever exposed to cancer-causing infections.

What are the side effects?

The most common side effects of the HPV vaccine are mild and include:

• Pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given
• Fever
• Dizziness or fainting (fainting after any vaccine, including HPV vaccine, is more common among adolescents)
• Nausea
• Headache or feeling tired
• Muscle or joint pain

It is important to tell the doctor or nurse if your child has any severe allergies, including an allergy to latex or yeast.

What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV)?

HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses that infect men and women. These common viruses infect about 13 million people, including teens, every year. Some HPV infections can lead to certain types of cancer.

Is it serious?

While most HPV infections go away on their own, some infections that don’t go away can cause:

• Cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in women
• Penile cancer in men
• Anal cancer in both men and women
• Cancer of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils (oropharynx) in both men and women
• Genital warts

85% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime.

While there is screening for cervical cancer, there are no routine screening tests for these other types of HPV cancers, so they often aren’t detected until they cause health problems.

Every year in the U.S.:

• More than 4,000 women die of cervical every year in the U.S., even with screening and treatment
• Nearly 36,000 men and women are diagnosed with a cancer caused by an HPV infection
• Nearly 200,000 women are estimated to be diagnosed with a cervical precancer, or abnormal cells on the cervix that can lead to cancer. Treatment for cervical cancers and precancers can limit women’s ability to have children

How do you get HPV?

HPV is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. HPV is so common that nearly all men and women get it at some point in their lives.