For Specific Groups of People:
Facts for Parents of Pre-teen Girls about HPV and the HPV Vaccine
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What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?
HPV is a common virus that is spread through sexual contact. There are many different strains or types of HPV. Some types can cause cervical cancer in women. Other types of HPV can cause genital warts in both males and females. But most of the time, HPV has no symptoms and does not cause health problems.
How common is HPV?
About 20 million people in the U.S. are currently infected with HPV. Each year, another 6.2 million people get a new HPV infection. HPV is most common in young people who are in their late teens and early 20s.
How common is cervical cancer?
Each year about 12,000 women in the U.S. get cervical cancer and about 4,000 women die from it.
What is the HPV vaccine?
The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer and genital warts.
Who should get the HPV vaccine?
Doctors recommend this vaccine for 11 and 12 year old girls. If your teenage daughter missed getting this vaccine when she was 11 or 12, make an appointment for her to get it now.
Ideally girls should get this vaccine before their first sexual contact when they could be exposed to HPV. This is because the vaccine prevents HPV in females who have not yet been exposed to the HPV types covered by the vaccine. It does not work as well for those who were exposed to the virus before getting the vaccine.
Is the HPV vaccine effective?
This vaccine is highly effective. It targets the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer and genital warts. This vaccine works very well to prevent these types of HPV in young women who have not been exposed to them before getting the vaccine. The vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or diseases they may cause.
Is the HPV vaccine safe?
The vaccine has been licensed as safe. This vaccine has been studied in thousands of girls and women in the U.S. and around the world. The most common side effect is soreness where the shot is given (in the arm). Serious side effects are rare.
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Content last reviewed on August 11, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases