SANTA MONICA – – At a time when children are returning from camps with their friends or saying good-bye to the summer beach buddies, parents are thinking about the upcoming school year.
It happens at the end of every summer. Just before school starts. Parents take their children to their family Doctor in order to get a yearly check-up and immunizations.
As children enter into their pre-teen years, Doctors recommend both girls and boys receive the human papillomavirus or HPV vaccination.
HPV is a virus that can cause many types of cancers: vaginal, penile, cervical, throat, neck, and mouth cancers to name a few.
Also, HPV can cause genital warts in people who are sexually active.
Many parents do not like to speak with their children about sex or sexually transmitted diseases. Imagine the difficulty explaining to your child about genital warts.
However, it is important that parents touch on the subject lightly. According the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 14 million people in the United States are infected with HPV every year.
Wow – that is a lot of warts.
The vaccination is administered three times over a six month period. Doctors recommend the vaccination for girls and boys beginning between ages 11 to 12.
There is quite a bit of debate about vaccinations in general. Some parents believe that vaccinating your child causes autism or can cause the brain to swell. In regards to the HPV vaccination, the CDC states that there are no serious safety concerns related to the HPV vaccination. The CDC also states that the vaccination cannot cause infertility or cancer.
Currently the HPV vaccination is not mandatory for attendance in public schools.
Each parent needs to decide whether they want their child to receive the HPV vaccination. Some points of consideration are health, belief system, and financial support.
Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalsphotos.net.
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