Is HPV vaccine recommended for boys?
Q: I want my 14-year-old son to get the HPV vaccine, but only about half of his peers have had the shots. It’s still a good idea, right?
— Mary G., Tulsa
A: Getting your son the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine is a brilliant move — and one that every parent of an adolescent boy or girl should do.
Unfortunately, only about 46 percent of adolescent boys and 60 percent of adolescent girls have been vaccinated against HPV, according to Sarah Oliver, M.D., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Further research shows that only 13.4 percent of guys 18 to 29 have been vaccinated.
That’s a shame, because the vaccine provides effective protection from strains of HPV that lead to noncancerous genital warts, cancer of the penis in men and of the anus and throat, and base of the tongue and tonsils in both women and men. For women, it protects against cancers of the cervix, vagina and vulva.
How effective is it? According to recent findings, infection with HPV types dropped 56 percent in 14- to 19-year olds during the first four years after the vaccine’s introduction (20062010) and by 61 percent in 20- to 24-year-olds during the next four years.
Another study found that young people who received at least one shot of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine had an 88 percent lower rate of infection with the strain that can lead to oropharyngeal cancer.
The recommended dosage: All 11- or 12-year-olds should get two shots of Gardasil-9 — which covers nine strains of HPV — six to 12 months apart.
If your child is over 14, he or she should get three shots in a six-month period.
Catch-up vaccination is advised for females up to age 26 and males up to age 21 who weren’t vaccinated when they were younger. For full recommendations, ask your doctor.
Remember: The chance of a vaccine causing a problem versus protecting you against a serious one like cancer is over 40,000 to one.