The HPV vaccine is better known in England as the cervical cancer jab. According to Cancer Research UK, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35. There are around 40 types of HPV that affect the genital area and over 100 types of HPV around the body.
I remember the vaccine for HPV, or the human papillomavirus, first being introduced to school students back in 2008 for 13-17 year olds. It will be most effective when given to those who are not yet sexually active, but the health service still decided to give it to anyone who was not pregnant (as it may cause deformities in an unborn baby) or has a sexually transmitted infection already. For the vaccine to work best, pre-existing STIs need to be treated before it’s administered.
The first time I heard about it, I was given a pink leaflet, like the ones on breast cancer, and a sheet to ask my parents’ permission (anyone under the age of consent needs permission) for the set of three jabs to be injected over the course of the academic year.
Personally, I made this decision on my own, with no influence from my parents. It was down to pure facts and that the vaccine was being offered for free at my school.
In the queue to the hall where they gave you the vaccine, there was a sullen silence; we all knew what was behind that door. Nurse practitioners sat at tables with rows and rows of needles, and girls sat next to them, looks of horror or lulling passiveness on their faces. At that point I was ready to walk out, not knowing how I felt anymore about needles, having always hated them in the past.
The vaccine is now becoming available for boys, too.
Boys can contract HPV as they are able to get STIs. The vaccine can help to prevent abnormal mucosa (moist membranes that line the body) growth in the mouth, neck and anus, and stop skin and genital warts, which boys as well as girls can contract.
These are the main reasons why the American health services are starting to offer the vaccine for both boys and girls, mostly for those who are not yet sexually active as it will be most effective for preventing different kinds of cancers. The vaccine is also offered to those who are sexually active, but would still like the vaccine.
The needles may freak you out, and the topics of cancer or STIs may embarrass you and be a taboo subject, but I think that cancer in the future or an STI would be scarier.
This vaccine is not one to be ignored. Your arm may ache for a few days afterward and you may not feel like writing, or when someone brushes past you, you might want to jump away from them, but all will be worth it in the end.
The short-term effects will be annoying, but the long-term effects could be lifesaving.
