Parents Urged to Allow Children to Take HPV Vaccine

Health Education and Promotion Officer for Westmoreland, Gerald Miller, is calling on parents to take full advantage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine during school medicals, noting its critical role in cancer prevention.

In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Miller informed that the vaccine is offered to females between the ages of nine and 26 years and boys between nine and 14 years of age.

“We have been encouraging the parents when they come for the school medical to consent for their children to take the HPV vaccine. We want our parents to take this issue of the vaccine very seriously, and they are getting the message,” he added.

Mr. Miller explained that HPV is a group of viruses that are the major cause of cervical cancer in women, but it can also lead to cancer of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, penis or throat.

“There are approximately 200 types of the HPV, and at least 14 types cause cancer. Seventy per cent of all cervical cancer is caused by the HPV types 16 and 18. The two types that vaccine is giving you protection against [are] 16 and 18,” he added.

Mr. Miller also emphasised that “the HPV vaccination is safe, effective and reliable in giving you long-lasting protection against cervical and other cancers caused by HPV infection”.

Citing research, Mr. Miller outlined that in Jamaica, HPV type 16 and 18 were found in 10.5 per cent of the general population and in 71 per cent of women with abnormal pap smears.

“HPV types that cause cancer are easy to contract and pass on to others. In most cases HPV infection with these types do not cause any symptoms that people will notice and usually go away on their own after one to two years,” he noted.

“At least one out of 10 persons can have long-lasting infections, which can develop into cancers,” Mr. Miller noted.

He also emphasised the need to rely on facts, not fear, when it comes to the HPV vaccine.

“We want persons to really pay attention to the facts, get the facts and do not listen to the misinformation that many times is being disseminated,” Mr. Miller said.

He also encouraged parents to speak with health professionals and become advocates. “We want everybody to be our HPV vaccine ambassadors, because cervical cancer can be eliminated if we trust the science and we take the vaccine to protect ourselves,” he said.

“As you go for your school medical exercise, we want you to ask about the HPV vaccine. If you are not clear and you want clarification, then we are willing to take time out to explain to you about it… so you can make the informed decision,” Mr. Miller urged.