Cervical cancer rates have dropped by 65 percent among young women aged 20-24 who received the HPV vaccine, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. This promising result comes nearly two decades after the vaccine was introduced. Dr. Anwar Khoury, an OB/GYN at Stormont’s Flint Hills campus in Junction City, emphasizes the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing not only cervical cancer but also some anal/genital and throat cancers.
However, despite these positive findings, there is growing concern over a recent stall in new HPV vaccinations among teens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have reported drops in HPV vaccination rates in some parts of the world. Dr. Khoury suggests that factors such as vaccine hesitancy, influenced by misinformation and concerns over safety, could be contributing to this trend.
One misconception that Dr. Khoury addresses is the belief that the HPV vaccine promotes sexual promiscuity. He stresses that the vaccine is ideally administered to girls and boys at age 11 or 12, before they are exposed to the virus, to develop better immunity.
Dr. Khoury urges parents to discuss the benefits of the HPV vaccine with their child’s pediatrician. With nearly 14,000 women in the U.S being diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and 4,000 dying from it annually, he emphasizes the importance of prevention through vaccination.
The CDC recommends that if started before age 15, two doses of HPV vaccine are sufficient; otherwise three doses can be given up until age 26.
With these statistics in mind and knowing how much impact one dose can make on reducing cancer rates, it is clear that there is hope for reducing cervical cancer burden significantly with vaccination as a preventive tool.
