Hpv Tests Check For High
These tests are usually used to identify women who are at high-risk of having precancerous changes and developing cervical cancer. Research shows that HPV testing is more accurate than the Pap test in finding precancerous changes in the cervix. Researchers are still trying to find the best way to use the HPV test as a part of cervical cancer screening. are an effective way to find cervical cancer.
HPV tests are available in some areas of Canada. In provinces that use HPV tests as part of their cervical cancer screening programs, they are generally used as a follow-up to abnormal Pap tests results.
How Much Does The Hpv Vaccine Cost
Each dose of the vaccine can cost about $250. Luckily, many health insurance companies cover the HPV vaccine. There are also programs that help some people without insurance get the vaccine for low or no cost.
You deserve to be healthy, regardless of whether you have health insurance. Talk with the staff at your local Planned Parenthood health center or another nurse or doctor to get more information about ways to make the vaccine more affordable.
What Happens At The Appointment
Your pharmacist will tell you more about the service, including how the vaccination will be given, and will give you the opportunity to ask any questions |
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To make sure the service is suitable youll be asked about any medicines you are taking and your medical history. If you have a fever on the day of your appointment, you may be asked to return when you’re better |
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If the service is suitable, youll receive your vaccination. Our pharmacists advise that you remain in the pharmacy for five minutes after your vaccination, just in case you have any immediate side effects |
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The Universal Human Papillomavirus Immunisation Programme
Protecting against HPV infection to help reduce your risk of cancer
More than 280 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been given worldwide, including 120 million doses in the US and over 10 million in the UK. The HPV vaccine has been offered to all girls in school year 8 since September 2008. From September 2019 the vaccine has also been offered to year 8 boys.
This is because the evidence is clear that the HPV vaccine helps protect both boys and girls from HPV-related cancers.
The HPV vaccine helps protect you from being infected by the human papillomavirus
This virus increases the risk of developing some cancers later in life, such as:
- cervical cancer
- some mouth and throat cancers
- some cancers of the anus and genital areas
The HPV vaccine does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections.
How Can I Prevent Hpv

Vaccines are available that can protect against the most common types of HPV that cause cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends that Canadians get vaccinated to reduce their risk of HPV-related cancer.
Get vaccinated or have your children vaccinated through school-based programs where available. If you are not eligible for a free vaccination, talk to your doctor about which vaccine is right for you and when you should have it.
If you are sexually active, use a condom and other barriers safely to help protect against HPV.
Condoms or other barriers such as an oral dam can reduce HPV infection if put on before skin-to-skin sexual contact. However, areas not covered by these barriers still allow some skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. Using these barriers will reduce but not eliminate the risk of HPV infection.
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Conditions Caused By Hpv Infection
In girls, HPV infection can cause cancer of the:
- cervix
The HSE school vaccination teams will visit schools twice in students’ first year of secondary school.
Boys and girls will get 4 injections in total, 2 at each visit:
- Visit 1 from the end of September: HPV vaccine and Tdap vaccine.
- Visit 2 from March: HPV vaccine and MenACWY vaccine.
One vaccine is given in each arm.
School teams are restating clinics for school vaccinations from the end of September. The school teams know what students need to get their vaccines and will contact parents and guardians to offer vaccines to students.
The Hpv Vaccine: Doses And Timings
Gardasil has been the HPV vaccine used in the NHS vaccination schedule since 2012.
Sometime during the 2021 to 2022 academic year the HPV vaccine used in the NHS programme will switch to Gardasil 9.
2 doses are needed to complete the course, with the 2nd dose given 6 to 24 months after the 1st dose.
Gardasil 9 can be given for the 1st and 2nd dose or to complete a course that was previously started with Gardasil.
Your school will let you know when your vaccinations are due.
If you miss one of the doses, speak to the school immunisation team or your GP surgery about making an appointment to have the missed dose. Ideally, this should be done as close as possible to the date of the missed vaccine.
Page last reviewed: 10 May 2019 Next review due: 10 May 2022
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Why Is The Hpv Vaccine Given At Such A Young Age
HPV infections can be spread by any skin-to-skin contact and are usually found on the fingers, hands, mouth and genitals.
This means the virus can be spread during any kind of sexual activity, including touching.
The HPV vaccine works best if girls and boys get it before they come into contact with HPV .
So getting the vaccine when recommended will help protect them during their teenage years and beyond.
Most unvaccinated people will be infected with some type of HPV at some time in their life.
The virus does not usually do any harm because the person’s immune system clears the infection.
But sometimes the infection stays in the body for many years, and then it may start to cause damage.
Possible Side Effects And Risks
The vaccine is safe, effective and generally well tolerated. Reactions are usually mild. Common side effects include pain, swelling and redness where the vaccine was given, headache, fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting or feeling faint shortly after receiving the vaccine.
In rare cases, serious allergic reactions such as trouble breathing, rash, swelling in the throat and face may occur. The allergic reactions can be treated and are usually temporary. Please stay at the clinic for 15 minutes after vaccination so staff can monitor for any reactions. There are no long-term side-effects or chronic medical conditions associated with this vaccine.
In USA, 29 million doses of HPV vaccine was given between December 2014 and 2017. Passive surveillance system received 7,244 reports. Most common are dizziness, fainting, headache and general reactions to the injection site. No new safety signals or unexpected patterns were observed.
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What’s Hpv And How Does It Spread
HPV is a very common virus which usually has no symptoms. More than 70% of unvaccinated people will get it at some point in their life.
Most people who become infected with HPV clear the virus from their body, but others may develop a range of cancers in later life caused by the HPV virus.
HPV is usually spread through intimate sexual contact. Condoms don’t provide complete protection. Some people may also develop genital warts, which can sometimes be difficult to treat.
Having the vaccine is important because we can’t predict who’ll develop cancer or genital warts. Getting the vaccine now protects you against future risks.
Fewer Health Issues After Vaccination
To look at trends in health issues reported after HPV vaccination, the researchers turned to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System , a website operated by CDC and FDA. Patients, caregivers, health care professionals, and vaccine manufacturers can use VAERS to voluntarily report any health problems that occur after vaccination.
From 2015 to 2018, reports of health issues following HPV vaccination went down overall.
Reports of serious health issues after HPV vaccination were consistently rarearound 1.8 per 100,000 HPV vaccine doses, or 0.0018%. A total of 758 serious health problems that arose after HPV vaccination were reported in VAERS during that time. Meanwhile, the rate of nonserious health issues following HPV vaccination reported in VAERS dropped from 43 to 28 per 100,000 vaccine doses.
Just because a health problem is reported in VAERS doesnt mean the vaccine caused it, Dr. Sonawane cautioned. Some health reports were hearsay and lacked sufficient information to be verified, she added.
We have to be cautious about interpreting VAERS data and not make any causeeffect associations, she said. According to CDC and FDA, VAERS data can only be used to find unusual patterns that should be evaluated in additional studies.
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Will My Insurance Cover The Cost Of The Hpv Vaccine
Most insurance plans cover routine vaccines, which means that if you’re in the recommended age group, your insurance should pay for the vaccine. Check with your insurance company just to be sure. If your family doesn’t have health insurance or you’re on Medicaid, you should be able to get the HPV vaccine for free through the Vaccines for Children program.
How Is Hpv Diagnosed

Diagnosis of HPV is usually made by checking symptoms, examination and, for women, doing a Cervical Screening Test. This test, which replaced the Pap smear, can detect high-risk HPV. There is no blood test to detect HPV.
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What Difference Has The Hpv Vaccine Made So Far
The UK HPV vaccination programme began in 2008, and there’s evidence from England, Scotland and other countries national vaccination programmes that the vaccine is making a difference.
There’s been a large drop in the rates of infection with the 2 main cancer-causing HPV types in women and men and a large drop in the number of young people with genital warts.
A recent Scottish study found an 89% reduction in severe cervical abnormalities in vaccinated women.
The UK programme is expected to eventually prevent hundreds of deaths from cervical cancer every year.
It can take many years for cervical cancer to develop after HPV infection, so it’ll take some time to find out the overall benefits of the vaccination programme.
Page last reviewed: 10 May 2019 Next review due: 10 May 2022
The Hse School Vaccination Programme
The HPV vaccine, along with MenACWY and Tdap, is given to first year students in secondary school by our school vaccination teams.
It is hoped that the second level school programme will commence from the 27th September 2021.
The HSE school vaccination programme may need to take place in a different venue from the school premises or may still be delayed because of COVID-19. The HSE will try to keep these changes to a minimum.
The HSE school vaccination programme may need to be done in a different venue or may be delayed because of COVID-19.
There is no requirement to restart the HPV vaccine schedule if the schedule is interrupted because of COVID-19. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee advice from the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland says:
If an immunisation course is interrupted, it should be resumed as soon as possible. It is not necessary to repeat the course, regardless of the time interval from the previous incomplete course*. The course should be completed with the same brand of vaccine if possible.
* except cholera vaccine
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Hpv Vaccine For Girls And Boys
The HPV vaccine has been offered to girls in their first year of secondary school since 2010. This is because the most common cancer caused by the HPV virus is cervical cancer which only affects women.
Since September 2019, boys have also been offered the HPV vaccine. This is because HPV can cause cancers and genital warts in boys too.
The more young people vaccinated – both boys and girls – the better we can control the spread of the infection.
Schedule A Doctor’s Visit For Your Child
Doctors will usually give the first HPV shot during your childs yearly checkup at age 11 or 12. But your child can get the shots at any doctor’s visit. Remember, its always a good idea to check with your childs doctor to make sure theyre getting all the recommended vaccines.
Learn about other vaccines your pre-teen may need.
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What Types Of Hpv Vaccines Are There
Three HPV vaccines9-valent HPV vaccine , quadrivalent HPV vaccine , and bivalent HPV vaccine have been licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . All three HPV vaccines protect against HPV types 16 and 18 that cause most HPV cancers.
Since late 2016, only Gardasil-9 is distributed in the United States. This vaccine protects against nine HPV types .
Whats The Hpv Vaccine
The HPV vaccine helps protect you against certain types of HPV that can lead to cancer or genital warts. Also known by the brand name Gardasil 9, the HPV vaccine protects against:
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HPV types 16 and 18 the 2 types that cause 80% of cervical cancer cases.
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HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts cases.
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Another 5 types of HPV that can lead to cancer of the cervix, anus, vulva/vagina, penis, or throat.
The HPV vaccine is given in a series of shots. For people ages 15-45, the HPV vaccine is 3 separate shots. The second shot is given 2 months after the first, and the third shot is given 4 months after the second shot. So, in all, it takes about 6 months to get all 3 shots.
For people ages 9-14, you only need to get 2 shots. The second shot is given 6 months after the first shot.
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Hpv Vaccine: What Age Is Too Late
All males and females ages 926 should get the HPV vaccine. It is mosteffective when given at ages 1112. Unvaccinated men and women ages2745 should talk to their doctor about the benefits of the vaccine.
Its likely youve heard about the HPV vaccine. This vaccine can protect your child against the human papillomavirus . This virus causes several types of cancer, including cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile and oropharyngeal cancers.
The HPV vaccine is recommended for pre-teens. But why? And does it work for older teens and adults? When it comes to the HPV vaccine, how late is too late?
There are a lot of questions surrounding the HPV vaccine. We spoke with Lois Ramondetta, M.D., professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. Heres what she told us about the age range for the HPV vaccine.
Males and females ages 9 to 45 can get the vaccine
The CDC recommends all boys and girls get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12, the age for optimal protection. They should get two shots, six to 12 months apart.
Vaccines given to 14 or 15 year olds are late and less effective, Ramondetta says.
In fact, patients 15 and older should receive three shots over the course of six months to receive the same benefit.
The bottom line: All males and females ages 926 should get the HPV vaccine. It is most effective when given at ages 1112. Unvaccinated men and women ages 2745 should talk to their doctor about the benefits of the vaccine.
Lois Ramondetta, M.D.
Who Should Get The Vaccine

Gardasil® and Gardasil®9
Gardasil® and Gardasil®9 are approved for use in females aged 9-45 and males aged 9-26.
These vaccines require 3 doses to be given over the course of 6 months . For healthy, immunocompetent, non-HIV infected individuals 9 to less than 15 years age, two doses of the vaccine at least 6 months apart may be given.
- Recommendations for use, which come from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization , were initially released in February 2007, and updated in January 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017 as new evidence emerged. NACI recommends Gardasil® and Gardasil®9 in females and males 9 to less than 27 years of age, including women who have had previous Pap test abnormalities, cervical cancer or individuals who have previously had genital warts. NACI also recommends that these vaccines may be administered to individuals 27 years of age and older at ongoing risk of exposure to HPV. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection, and ideally, the vaccine should be administered before sexual debut in order to ensure maximum benefit.
For more details on the NACI Statement, see “Update on Human Papillomavirus Vaccines”.
Cervarix®
Cervarix® is approved for use in females aged 9 to 45. At this time Cervarix® has not been approved for use in males in Canada.
The vaccine requires 3 doses to be given over the course of 6 months . For healthy, immunocompetent, non-HIV infected females 9 to less than 15 years age, two doses of the vaccine at least 6 months apart may be given.
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How Effective Are The Vaccines
The HPV vaccines have demonstrated very high efficacy in preventing the types of HPV infection for which they are indicated . If you are infected with one of the HPV types in the vaccine, the vaccine will still protect against the other type in the vaccine. HPV DNA testing is not recommended prior to vaccination.
What Are The Side Effects Of Hpv Vaccine
Like all medicines, the HPV vaccine can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.
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