Like most other people, going to a doctor’s office to receive a shot is not something I look forward to. This was especially true when I was in the middle of my HPV shots when I was younger. Anyone who has had this series of shots knows that they’re some of the most painful shots you’ll probably ever receive. However, the pain of having the shots in not comparable to the amount of pain you could potentially feel if you were to develop cervical cancer by choosing to not get vaccinated. Vaccinations are extremely an important aspect of modern medicine, and it is vital that vaccines are effective and affordable.
As a healthcare professional, I would recommend that the strains covered in an HPV vaccine include HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, and HPV45 as they are correlated with approximately 80% of cervical cancer cases (1). Furthermore, HPV16 and HPV18 have also been connected to anogenital cancers and some head and neck cancers (1), so by including these strains in a vaccine, cancer types beyond cervical could potentially be prevented as well. Other strains of HPV such as HPV’s 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, and 59 have been associated with cervical cancer, but I feel that the vaccine should include the most high-risk strains that are most often associated with the development of cancer over time.
The vaccine should be administered to young people, before possible exposure to HPV through sexual intercourse, or as soon as possible starting around the age 11 or 12 (2). According to the CDC, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection spread through sexual contact (2). Along with initial vaccinations, it is necessary that the patient follow up with a booster shot to increase immunity to these high- risk HPV strains.
- Sarid R, Gao S-J. 2011. Viruses and Human Cancer: From Detection to Causality. Cancer Lett 218–227.
- 2017. Genital HPV Infection – Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
