Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Should Young Aldults Receive a HPV vaccine

Clearly too much has been said and done about HPV medicines and treatments.Now it is time we think about the less talked about HPV vaccine.

It is just recently that an HPV vaccine was given a nod by FDA to be used among other forms of HPV treatment.

As more and more teenagers and preteens engage in sexual activities,HPV or Human Papilloma Virus which is termed as a sexually transmitted disease has become a major concern to many parents in the world.

HPV is highly contagious and a vaccine for it could be percieved as a relief to both parents and the young adult.

It is well known that HPV infection has no cure but with such a viable project in the name of HPV vaccine on the way,the possibility of HPV spread and reinfection is seen to reduce a great deal.

Thanks to FDA for in June 2006 the first ever HPV vaccine was approved.Gardasil has become a household name in the medical circles as an HPV vaccine which has proved to be as effective as other methods of HPV treatments which for the time being is used atleast by women.


Cervarix is another HPV vaccine used on women and was awaiting for the FDA approval as at the end of 2006.

Research shows that Gardasil is a vaccine which is recommended to be administered to young girls between the ages of 9 to 26 in a number of three dosages before the onset of sexual relationships.

Naturally this becomes a reason for concern in parents with girls especially.An HPV vaccine for men is yet to be established although Gardasil is still being tested on them all the same.

As there are two sides to a coin, parents on the other hand are afraid that administering these vaccines at such a tender age is going to encourage promiscuity among the young adults at a time when they are so vulnerable and probability of giving up to peer pressure so high.

According to many this could be sending the wrong message to the young generation.Would you rather have to live with an HPV infected child or would you opt to take them for an HPV vaccine?The newst intrigue added to the whole senario is that there is lobbying to make HPV vaccine a mandatory one.

This in turn complicates the whole issue and parents are left with little choice on whether to take their child to recieve the HPV vaccine or not.


About the author:
Wangeci Kinyanjui has been researching and reporting on Health Matters for years. For more information on HPV vaccine, visit her site at  HPV VACCINE