The Time Is Now To Take A Shot At Eliminating Six Cancers Caused By Hpv
Its still in the public perception that HPV is largely a problem for women, Gillison told STAT. I think people have to be aware that the burden of HPV positive oropharynx cancer in men in the United States now exceeds the burden of cervical cancer diagnosed each year. Although survival rates are relatively high for these patients, treating these cancers is grueling for the patient and expensive for the health care system. The idea that tumors could be prevented with a few shots is bracing.
I just know that I dont have a single patient who wouldnt swap two or three shots for what I do to them to try to save their life, Gillison said.
The HPV vaccine was originally approved in 2006 to prevent cervical cancer, based on studies showing that it prevented the formation of pre-cancerous lesions caused by HPV that are known to be necessary for the virus to cause cervical cancer.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said that the initial FDA approval was focused on girls because it was possible to show that the vaccine could prevent these lesions. Offit said he protested at the time that infections in boys were likely to be as important as those in girls. We sent the wrong message, Offit said. Its a message that we still havent shaken.
You Can Still Get Hpv Even If You’ve Had The Vaccine But You Should Get The Shot Anyway
When you go to get vaccinated, odds are you’re enduring the quick sting of the needle in order to protect yourself from something much worse. Once you’re done, that vaccine-preventable disease is just one less thing you have to worry about or at least that’s true in most cases. When it comes to human papillomavirus , it’s a bit more complicated.
There are a few different types of HPV vaccines out there, but the most common one in the US is Gardasil. This vaccine is often given in doses to young adolescents around the age of 11 or 12 , and it’s intended to protect against genital warts and cervical cancer, which can be caused by certain strains of HPV. But while Gardasil is highly effective at protecting against these dangerous strains, there are several others that can cause troubling symptoms, even in those who have been vaccinated. Knowing how to recognize these strains of HPV and protect yourself against them is extremely important for your sexual health. That’s why we spoke to ob-gyns to unpack everything you need to know about the HPV vaccine and what it can do.
I Had Cervarix A Few Years Ago Can I Get Gardasil Now
If you are in your early twenties now you were probably given the Cervarix vaccine. This is a good vaccine to protect you against cervical cancer, but it doesn’t protect you against genital warts.
If you’d like this additional protection, you could consider getting the Gardasil 9 vaccine now. Speak to your GP if youre under the age of 25 to see if you can get this on the NHS.
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Are There Any Side Effects Of The Hpv Vaccine For Females
The side effects of the HPV vaccination are the same for men and women. The vaccine is safe, however if you do experience side effects, these tend to be mild, ranging from pain where you were injected to headaches. If youre worried about the vaccination you can talk to a pharmacist at any time, or during your consultation.
What Is The Outlook For Cervical Cancer

The survival rate is close to 100% when you find and treat precancerous or early cancerous changes. The prognosis for invasive cervical cancer depends on the stage.
- More than 90% of women with stage 0 survive at least 5 years after diagnosis.
- Stage I cervical cancer patients have a 5-year survival rate of 80% to 93%.
- Women with stage II cervical cancer have a 5-year survival rate of 58% to 63%.
- The survival rate for women with stage III cervical cancer is 32% to 35%.
- Sixteen percent or fewer women with stage IV cervical cancer survive 5 years.
Health care providers who treat cancer often use the term “remission” rather than “cure.” Many women who have cervical cancer recover completely, but it can still come back.
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The Side Effects Of The Hpv Vaccine
You may have heard about HPV in the news or seen a sign about vaccinations at your local pharmacy. The HPV vaccine can help protect you from the infection, although like with any vaccine or medication there are potential side effects that you should know about and consider before you or your loved one has the vaccine. Were always here to help you find what is best for you and your family.
How Long Does Hpv Vaccine Last
The HPV vaccine does not offer protecting against all types of HPV, instead it protects against the strains of HPV which cause genital warts, cervical cancer and other cancers like mouth and throat. That being said, studies have shown that the HPV vaccine continues to protect for at least 10 years, with many experts expecting those who have been vaccinated to be protected for longer.
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Does The Vaccine Have Side Effects Is It Safe
The HPV vaccine is safe. The most common side effects from HPV vaccination are mild and might include: fever, headache, and pain and redness in the arm where the shot was given.
Sometimes children and teens faint after getting a shot, including the HPV vaccine. Sitting or lying down when getting a shot, and staying in that position for about 15 minutes afterwards, can help prevent fainting.
Children and teens with an allergy to yeast or with an allergy to any other component of the vaccine that causes anaphylaxis should not receive the HPV vaccine.
Treatment For Hair Loss
In instances where there is no regrowth, or hair doesnt grow back fully, a few different treatments are available.
Thinning caused by telogen effluvium may be treated with a medication called minoxidil this is a topical treatment applied directly to the scalp.
For alopecia areata, there are a range of treatments available. Some of these treatments might be prescibed by your GP but most are only prescribed by dermatologists including:
- Steroid creams, lotions, tablets or injections
- Dithranol
- Immunotherapy
For a detailed guide to treatments for alopecia areata, consult this page on the Alopecia UK website.
Because trichotillomania is often related to anxiety or OCD , the most effective treatment is thought to be psychological therapy, for example CBT . If you think you might have trichotillomania, please discuss this with your GP.
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Having Sex When You Know You Have Hpv
It might seem highly irresponsible to even consider having sex when you know you have an STI. But, as we mentioned, HPV is pretty much everywhere. Its so prevalent that it really makes more sense for people to assume anyone theyre having sex with has this virus than the reverse.
Depending on your unique situation, it might make sense to tell your current or previous partners what youre dealing with. And in some cases, you might be advised to abstain from sex for a while. As you can tell, this is a really tricky issue, so talking to your provider can be a huge help. In the meantime, here are some things to consider if youre trying to figure out what to do about your sex life after an HPV diagnosis.
If youre under 30 and have an abnormal Pap result:
Age is actually a pretty important factor with HPV. If youre under 30, your body is more likely to clear HPV on its own. This is why HPV tests actually arent recommended for people under 30. We dont routinely test anyone under 30 because we know the virus is common at that age, and we also know that it often goes away without causing problems, Dara Matseoane-Peterssen, M.D., director of NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospitals Ob/Gyn Division, tells SELF.
But, again, if youre under 30, your health team is probably not going to be very concerned about the actual strain of HPV you have, since your body is very likely to clear the infection.
If youre over 30 and test positive for HPV:
If you have genital warts:
There’s More Than One Kind Of Hpv
And new ones are still being discovered. So far, scientists have identified more than 170 types of HPV. In July of 2013, researchers published findings on yet more strains. Fortunately, not all of these cause problems. About 40 are spread easily through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. At least 12 have been linked to cancer and, of these, two cause most HPV-related cancers.
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When Should My Child Get The Hpv Vaccine
The vaccine is given as a series of shots. HPV vaccination works best when given between ages 9 and 12.
Children and young adults age 13 through 26 who have not been vaccinated, or who havent gotten all their doses, should get the vaccine as soon as possible. Vaccination of young adults will not prevent as many cancers as vaccination of children and teens.
The American Cancer Society does not recommend HPV vaccination for persons older than 26 years.
Can The Hpv Vaccine Cause Long

Many different clinical trials and scientific studies have looked to see if there are any links between the HPV vaccination and other conditions, including:
They have found no increase in cases of these conditions among people who have been vaccinated against HPV compared with people who have not.
In March 2017, it issued a statement concluding there’s no evidence of any link between the HPV vaccination and these conditions.
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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Findings from VAERS indicate that CRPS following HPV vaccination is extremely rare. However, VAERS cannot determine causality.
- VAERS
- > 67 million doses of Cervarix and Gardasil distributed in the United States
- 21 reports of CRPS following Gardasil and one report following Cervarixexternal icon out of the total 31,935 reports of adverse events following HPV vaccination in VAERS. These 22 reports were not confirmed as CRPS cases.
Hpv Vaccination Is Very Safe
Each HPV vaccine 9-valent HPV vaccine , quadrivalent HPV vaccine , and bivalent HPV vaccine went through strict safety testing before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed them. Over 15 years of monitoring and research during the vaccination program have continued to show that HPV vaccination is safe.
Gardasil® 9 was studied in clinical trials with more than 15,000 females and males.
Gardasil® was studied in clinical trials with more than 29,000 females and males.
Cervarix® was studied in clinical trials with more than 30,000 females.
Each vaccine was found to be safe and effective in clinical trials. Since late 2016, Gardasil® 9 has been the only HPV vaccine available for use in the United States.
As with all approved vaccines, CDC and FDA closely monitor the safety of HPV vaccines. Any detected safety concerns are reported to health officials, healthcare professionals, and the public.
More than 135 million doses of HPV vaccines have been distributed since they were licensed. Data continue to show the vaccines are safe and effective.
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How Have Vaccines Changed The Hpv Landscape
According to the CDC, since the first Gardasil vaccine was introduced in 2006, infections with the HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 86%in teen girls and 71% in young women. Among vaccinated women, the percentage of cervical precancers caused by the HPV types most often linked to cervical cancer has dropped by 40%.In a meta-analysis published in June 2019 in The Lancet, researchers looked at 65 studies in 14 high-income countries and found that in the years since the first HPV vaccine was introduced, there has been a substantial decrease in HPV infections, precancerous cervical lesions, and anogenital warts .The researchers said that cases of HPV types 16 and 18 which the CDC says cause 70% of cervical cancerdecreased by 83% among girls ages 13 to 19 and by 66% among women 20 to 24.HPV vaccines offer a chance of eradicating cervical cancer in wealthy countries within decades, one of the studys authors added .
No Link Between Hpv Vaccine Autoimmune Diseases
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 29, 2018 — Immunizing girls against human papillomavirus doesn’t increase their risk for autoimmune diseases, according to new research from Canada.
HPV is the world’s most common sexually transmitted disease, affecting up to 75 percent of sexually active people and is the main cause of cervical cancer. Gardisil, the quadrivalent HPV4 vaccine, protects against up to 90 percent of strains that cause cervical and rectal cancer.
“Despite demonstrated effectiveness in real-world settings, concerns continue to persist regarding the safety of the HPV4 vaccine,” said lead study author Dr. Jeffrey Kwong. He’s a senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto and at Public Health Ontario.
“In light of these concerns, we wanted to study the HPV4 vaccination since it was being offered free to all grade 8 girls in Ontario through school-based clinics,” Kwong added.
To see if the vaccine triggered autoimmune conditions such lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, Kwong’s team reviewed data on 210,000 girls aged 12 to 17 who were eligible for vaccination between 2007 and 2013.
Of nearly 181,000 girls who were vaccinated, about 680 were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease between one week and two months later.
The researchers said this rate is consistent with the rate of diagnosed cases among all girls in this age group.
The report was published May 28 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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There Are Also Some More Common Hpv Vaccine Side Effects These Include:
- Bruising or itching where you have been vaccinated
- A fever or feeling hot and shivery
- Feeling sick
- Feeling pain in your fingers, hands, arms, toes, feet or legs
- Dizziness or feeling faint
If you think you will feel faint, ask to lie down for your injection and stay lying down for a short while afterwards.
Rare side effects of the HPV jab include an itchy red rash and very rarely a person may experience difficulty breathing. It is very rare that an allergic reaction occurs but if this happens your healthcare professional will know what to do. If you are worried you can always speak to a pharmacist, theyll be able to offer advice and answer any questions you may have.
Years Later Has The Hpv Vaccine Made A Difference In Texas
Dr. Susan Wootton poses for a portrait with her daughter, Fiona Bodman, at their home Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Belliare. Wootton is a pediatric infectious disease specialist who has started the HPV vaccination process for her daughter, who is 11 years old, which is the age that doctors recommend children receive the first shot of the two-shot HPV vaccine.
Dr. Susan Wootton poses for a portrait with her daughter, Fiona Bodman, at their home Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Belliare. Wootton is a pediatric infectious disease specialist who has started the HPV vaccination process for her daughter, who is 11 years old, which is the age that doctors recommend children receive the first shot of the two-shot HPV vaccine.
Dr. Susan Wootton poses for a portrait with her daughter, Fiona Bodman, at their home Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 in Belliare. Wootton is a pediatric infectious disease specialist who has started the HPV vaccination process for her daughter, who is 11 years old, which is the age that doctors recommend children receive the first shot of the two-shot HPV vaccine.
Dr. Susan Wootton, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, has already started the HPV vaccination process with her 11-year-old daughter, Fiona.
Dr. Susan Wootton was a medical student in the 1990s when she heard something that excited her: âa vaccine against cancer.â
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Two Tips For Healing Warts More Quickly
Treat the wart. When someone has a healthy immune system, a wart will often go away on its own. This can take a long time, though. In the meantime, the virus that causes warts can spread to other parts of the body, which may lead to more warts.Treatment can help a wart clear more quickly. You can buy effective wart treatment without a prescription.When treating a wart, dermatologists recommend that you:
Avoid shaving over a wart. When you shave, you create microtears in your skin. If you shave over a wart, youll have microtears in your wart and the skin that you shave.Through these microtears, you can spread the virus that causes warts from the wart to any skin that you shave. For example, a man can get new warts in his beard area if he shaves over a wart and then shaves his face. When a woman shaves over a wart and then shaves her legs, she may develop several warts on her legs.If you shave over a wart and then shave your pubic hair, you can develop warts in your pubic area.