“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com
From a Girl Who Didn’t Get the HPV Vaccine
A perspective from Nandini Singh
Human papillomavirus – a group of more than 200 related, sexually-transmitted viruses – causes three percent of all cancers in women and two percent of all cancers in men in the United States. Worldwide, 570,000 women and 60,000 men are diagnosed with HPV-related cancer each year. News of a HPV vaccine must have led to widespread vaccination efforts when it was developed, right?
Wrong. When Gardasil, a powerful tool in preventing cervical cancer, was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006, medical professionals and parents alike expressed concerns over the safety of the vaccine. Only 21.5 percent of adults aged 18 to 26 received the recommended HPV vaccine dosage by 2018.
I am a part of the almost 80 percent. I have not received any doses of the HPV vaccine. As a sexually active, 24 year old public health student with two doctors as parents, this is embarrassing for me to admit.
How did I advance to my mid-twenties without biting the bullet? Parental hesitancy is a key player (just as it is for the COVID-19 vaccine today). When Gardasil was first approved, I was nine years old. My parents, who were medical professionals as well as parents to an adolescent, waited to get me vaccinated until more research emerged.
Fast forward to the present-day: research has proven that Gardasil (the HPV vaccine) is safe and extremely effective. I have been well aware of this knowledge for years now, as I have also been aware of the risks of remaining unvaccinated against HPV.
My extended wait time to get the vaccine had nothing to do with fear of adverse side effects – rather, it’s been prolonged due to the business of college life, then young professional life, then graduate school life. However, laziness is not the reason for many people’s lack of vaccination status. Data from the Center for Disease Control shows that between 2012 to 2018, HPV vaccine hesitancy among U.S. parents jumped from 50.4 percent to 64 percent. This concerning trend correlates with the low amount of vaccination rates in young adults mentioned earlier.
So what can we do about it? If you’re like me, have yet to receive the vaccine, and are now reaching the recommended maximum age to receive the vaccine (26), make it a priority for your health. If you’re older, there is still an opportunity: people ages 27 to 45 can be safely vaccinated after consulting proper healthcare professionals.
If you’re a parent of a child or young adolescent, get educated and get your child vaccinated. We are not able to protect our children and loved ones from everything, but a safe and effective vaccine can go a long way in preventing hardship down the road.
We can also advocate for schools to require the HPV vaccine; Rhode Island, Virginia, Hawaii, and Washington D.C. already have student vaccination mandates in place. 37 states require the Hepatitis B vaccine and 22 states require the meningococcal conjugate vaccine; if HPV vaccine mandates were increased, more youth would be vaccinated and therefore protected from cervical cancer, warts, and other genital cancers.
I’m happy to say that I’ve moved this important item to the top of my to-do list. For me, getting closer to the recommended maximum age shed light on the seriousness of HPV and the effectiveness of the vaccine. It does not have to take that long for you or your loved ones.
My first vaccine dose appointment is November 17th. Join me in getting vaccinated against HPV.
“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com
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