Bonnie, you have written a very informative article on human papillomavirus and I’m sure it will be very helpful to many concerned women. We all hope that some day more effective treatment for HPV will be available. In the interim, there is good news: infection due to some of the most dangerous types of HPV is preventable with vaccination.
Two HPV vaccines are available. Both protect against the HPV types responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers. One vaccine also protects against HPV types that cause genital warts. To prevent infection, the vaccines should be given before HPV exposure. The earliest, and best time to get these vaccines is during adolescence, but women can get vaccinated up to age 26. One of the vaccines is also approved for use in males. For both vaccines, you need three doses over six months for full protection. Because the vaccines don’t protect against every type of HPV infection, women should still have regular Pap screenings.
More information is available at our website: www.Adultvaccination.org. Susan J. Rehm, MD, Medical Director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
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Bonnie, you have written a very informative article on human papillomavirus and I’m sure it will be very helpful to many concerned women. We all hope that some day more effective treatment for HPV will be available. In the interim, there is good news: infection due to some of the most dangerous types of HPV is preventable with vaccination.
Two HPV vaccines are available. Both protect against the HPV types responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers. One vaccine also protects against HPV types that cause genital warts. To prevent infection, the vaccines should be given before HPV exposure. The earliest, and best time to get these vaccines is during adolescence, but women can get vaccinated up to age 26. One of the vaccines is also approved for use in males. For both vaccines, you need three doses over six months for full protection. Because the vaccines don’t protect against every type of HPV infection, women should still have regular Pap screenings.
More information is available at our website: www.Adultvaccination.org. Susan J. Rehm, MD, Medical Director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
August 17, 2011 - 1:36pmThis Comment
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