We have a vaccine against the virus that causes cervical cancer.
Dont buy into bogus exposes on dangers that dont really exist.
Some cause genital warts.
The vaccine protects against up to nine types of the virus.
But the HPV vaccine has an image problem, and its multifaceted.
There are the false claims that it causes serious health problems in girls who get the shot.
Theres also a myth that the vaccine encourages kids to have sex.
Doctors have become shy about eventalkingabout the vaccine, reporting thatthey expect conversations with parents to be uncomfortable.
(A related viruscauses rabbits to grow horns.
Nature is weird.)
(Its likely just as common in men.)
The virus is a lazy one, taking years to progress from infection to cancer.
But if the virus lingers, it can cause cancer decades later.
Thats why screening is so important.
One way is with apap smearto look for abnormal cells, due to the virus, on a womanscervix.
(The cervix is the place where the uterus and vagina meet.)
Cancer or pre-cancerous changes are treatable if caught early.
Thats why a vaccine makes so much sense.
TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)recommends the vaccinefor boys and girls starting around age 11.
From a medical standpoint, that makes sense: you get the vaccine before youre exposed to the virus.
Any connection between kids and sexmakes a lot of parents nervous.
But HPV vaccination doesnt make 11-year-olds think great, Ill go have sex now!
Still, parents dont like to think about their kids having sex.
Those numbers come from asurveythat also had the awful finding that 11% of first sexual encounters were unwanted.
If your doctor doesnt offer, step up and ask for it.
There aresimilar groups in the USpublicizing the stories of young women who fell ill after getting the shot.
But this isnt proof of a problem.
With these stories, you’re able to play thelogical fallacies infographiclike a bingo card.
Anti-vaxxers often point to VAERS as proof that vaccines are dangerous, but thats not what the reports mean.
It is important to remember that many adverse events reported to VAERS may not be triggered by vaccines.
Sensationalizing anecdotes like this is part of a pattern.
Earlier this year, the Toronto Star published a similarly misguided investigation of the vaccine.
Julia Belluz at Voxcalled them out, and they retracted the story.
(Teenagerssometimes faint after receiving shots, and we dont fully understand why.)
Nothing in life is ever guaranteed safe, but vaccines come close.
The risks are very small, and the benefits clearly outweigh them for almost everyone.
You cant give your daughter or son a better gift than that.
Illustration by Tara Jacoby.
