By the Alliance for HPV Free Colorado
Each year in the U.S., more than 37,000 cases of cancer attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV) are diagnosed. That’s one new case every 14 seconds. Thankfully, there is a vaccine that can prevent HPV and the cancers it can cause.
The Alliance for HPV Free Colorado encourages parents to get their adolescent boys and girls vaccinated against HPV to prevent HPV-related cancers that can develop later in life. These not only include cervical, vaginal, penile, anal, and rectal cancers, but also oropharyngeal (throat) cancer. In fact, oropharyngeal cancer is the number one kind of cancer caused by HPV. 70% of oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV and these cancers are most often found in men, so it’s important to make sure all adolescents – regardless of gender – get vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adolescents get the HPV vaccine at ages 11-12; it can be given as early as age 9. Giving the vaccine at this age protects kids before they are ever exposed to HPV, and when the immune response to the vaccine is the strongest. Kids who initiate the HPV vaccine series before their 15th birthday need just two doses; if they start after they turn 15, they need three.
The HPV vaccine is extremely safe and can prevent more than 90% of HPV-related cancers from ever developing. Despite this, data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) indicate that only 52% of teens 9-17 years old in Colorado have started the HPV vaccine series and only 34% have completed it.
Not all cancers are preventable, but those caused by HPV are. With the HPV vaccine, we can protect young Coloradans now from future cancers later. Talk to your child’s doctor or healthcare provider about the HPV vaccine!
About the Alliance for HPV Free Colorado
The Alliance for HPV Free Colorado is a regional collaborative led by the Public Health Institute at Denver Health. The Alliance aims to implement a multidisciplinary approach that results in a sustainable increase in completion of the HPV vaccine series for 9-17 year olds across Colorado.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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