Should Parents Have Their Daughters Vaccinated for Cervical Cancer

As parents, we will do everything we can to help ensure our children's health and safety. This includes having our children vaccinated against illnesses and diseases. But what vaccines does that include? Should it include the new vaccine that guards against cervical cancer for girls?

Cervical cancers are most often caused by an infection known as the human papillomarvirus or HPV, for short. This infection is transmitted through sexual activity. Therefore, it is recommended that the new vaccine should be given to young girls before they become sexually active. And while parents don't like to think about their child becoming sexually active, it is a fact of life. That's why parents of young girls nearing the age of ten to eleven should read up on the new vaccine and discuss it with the child's doctor.

Knowing all the pros and cons of the new vaccine, including any side effects, will help parents make the decision of whether or not their child should receive it. While the vaccine is not normally required for school enrollment, it is now being included in the list of vaccines for children. This may change in the future as more and more states begin to require the vaccine.

The vaccine, which is sold under the names of Gardasil and Cervarix, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is the first actual vaccine to help prevent a cancer. It is also believed to help prevent other types of female related cancers, such as vaginal cancer. In fact, it is even being recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that females up to the age of twenty-six receive the vaccine in an attempt to help protect them from any types of HPV that the young woman has not been exposed to.

One of the vaccines, Gardasil, can also be given to boys as a precaution against genital warts. Again, parents should talk to their child's doctor about the benefits and side effects of the vaccine.

The vaccine is given in three doses to help keep the protection level high. This may also change in the future as time reveals how well and how long the vaccine works.

There appears to be high hopes that this vaccine will reduce the spread of infections which cause cervical cancer as more and more young women receive it.

However, as with all new immunizations and drugs, it is often difficult and scary for parents to make the decision as to whether or not it is the right choice for their child. That's why it is important for parents to find out as much as possible about the cervical cancer vaccine, its known side effects and any risks present. This will help the parents make the decision of whether or not to have their child vaccinated.

Credits: Mayo Clinic.com

www.health.harvard.edu