HPV Disease

Talking Points: Children and Adolescents

  • ​Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus. Like all viruses, HPV causes infection by entering our bodies and affecting our cells.
  • HPV is a very common virus that nearly all of us will get at some point in our lives. Studies show that 85% of people will get an HPV infection sometime in their lifetime.
  • For most people who get the virus, it clears from the body in a year or two. In other people, it may linger, and it can cause changes to cells in our body that lead to pre-cancerous and cancer cells over time. You may not know you have the virus until it shows up as cancer or other complications many years later.
  • Cancer from HPV infection can take years, sometimes decades, to develop. We cannot tell who will develop cancer from the HPV virus.
  • HPV can spread from person to person through very intimate activities, for example, skin-to-skin contact or through sexual activity. You can get a genital HPV infection even if you do not have sexual intercourse. People can spread HPV to others without knowing they have it themselves.
  • HPV infection often has no signs or symptoms. People with HPV infection usually do not know they have it. This is one reason why HPV spreads easily.
  • It can cause diseases such as genital warts. These can be disfiguring and cause a lot of mental stress and anxiety for a young person.
  • It is important that children and adolescents have an annual physical with their healthcare provider. This yearly physical exam should include screening for HPV infections by looking at areas of the body where HPV infections usually manifest.

Social Media Messages: ​Children and Adolescents

Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn
  • While you can’t control much about your pre-teen’s future, here’s what you can: their risk of at least 6 types of cancer. About 13 million Americans, including teens, get HPV each year. Two doses of the vaccine can help protect against cancers caused by HPV. Ask your doctor or nurse about the best time for your child to get the HPV vaccine. www.vaxwell.org/hpv
  • We get it. Thinking about HPV when your child is still in elementary or middle school can feel a little too early. It’s so important to get them vaccinated now, though. Getting two doses of the vaccine while young means your child won’t have to worry about HPV cancers when they grow up. Ask your doctor or nurse about HPV vaccination for your child. www.vaxwell.org/hpv​
HPV Social Media-Kids 1
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X (Twitter)
  • You can't control much about your pre-teen’s future. But you can decrease their risk for at least 6 types of cancer. ~13 million Americans, including teens, get HPV each year. Talk to your child’s provider about the #HPVvaccine. www.vaxwell.org/hpv  
  • Getting two doses of the #HPVvaccine while young means your child won’t have to worry about HPV cancers when they grow up. Ask your doctor or nurse about HPV vaccination for your child. www.vaxwell.org/hpv
HPV Social Media-Kids 2
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HPV Social Media-Kids 3
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HPV Social Media-Kids 4
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HPV Social Media-Kids 5
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​HPV Campaign Posters: Children and Adolescents

Request posters and NHPHA will deliver it to you.
Sizes
8.5 × 11 in
16 x 20 in
Sizes
8.5 × 11 in
16 x 20 in

HPV Vaccine

Talking Points: Children and Adolescents 

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) both recommend that all children (girls and boys) 11-12 years old receive the HPV Vaccine, but it can be given as early as 9 years old. It is best to vaccinate as early as possible.
  • Vaccinate early at 9 years old because early protection works best. Protect your child way before they ever have contact with or are exposed to HPV. Studies
    also show that the HPV vaccine works better in younger people. The HPV vaccine can be given as early as 9 years old. (HPV vaccine effectiveness by age at vaccination: A systematic review and National HPV Vaccination Roundtable).
  • The HPV vaccine works!! HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. In the years since the HPV vaccine has been used in the US, the number of HPV infections, genital warts, and cervical precancers has dropped. Years of study have shown that HPV vaccination can prevent 90% of cancers caused by HPV.
  • Vaccinating early (between ages 9 and 15) means earlier protection and only 2 doses to be considered fully vaccinated. Vaccinating after the age of 15 means receiving an additional shot (3 doses) to be considered fully vaccinated.
  • If you are an older teen, it's not too late to get vaccinated; you can still start the series as an older adolescent or young adult to protect against any new HPV infection.
  • If your child started the series but did not complete it, you can still catch them up at any time; there is no need to restart the series. So, if your child received one dose at age 11 and is now 18, pick up where you left off with the series and complete it.
  • HPV vaccine is safe. It has been given to millions of children, teens, and young adults for over 15 years in the US and worldwide.
  • Side effects from the HPV vaccine, like all other vaccines your child gets, may occur. These can include soreness at the vaccine site, redness at the injection site, fever, headache, and muscle aches. Side effects are mild and usually last only for a day or so. Not getting an HPV vaccine and getting infected with the virus, however, can lead to lifelong complications, including cancer. 
  • Side effects after vaccination (sore arm, redness at the injection site, fever, muscle aches) are all signs of a body’s immune system responding to what it thinks is an actual germ from the injection. Vaccines train your immune system to recognize and fight infections that cause disease. When getting vaccinated, your body makes protective antibody cells to protect you from what it thinks is the actual germ. In doing so, you may develop side effects like sore arms, fevers, etc. Not everyone may experience these side effects after injection –their immune system is still working even if they don’t.
  • Tell your doctor or nurse if your child or adolescent is allergic to latex or yeast. People allergic to latex or yeast and people who have had a severe allergic reaction to the HPV vaccine in the past should not take the HPV vaccine.
  • The HPV vaccine is safe, effective and provides long-lasting protection.
  • Like all other ACIP-recommended vaccines, the HPV vaccine is free in New Hampshire for individuals under 19 years of age, regardless of insurance status. For those 19 years of age and older, most health insurance plans will pay for the HPV vaccine. Ask your healthcare provider or health department if you have questions about the cost of the vaccine.
  • You can find the HPV vaccine at doctor’s offices, health clinics, and local health departments. 

Addressing Common Misconceptions

  • HPV vaccine is not just for girls; boys need it also. HPV disease can affect boys and men, also leading to cancer of the penis, anus and back of the throat.
  • The HPV vaccine cannot give you HPV, nor can it give you cancer. The vaccine is made from one piece of the virus that has been killed, so there is no way that it can cause HPV infection or lead to cancer cells in your child’s body.
  • Some parents have concerns that vaccination will encourage sexual behavior and, therefore, choose not to vaccinate.  Studies have shown that HPV vaccination is not associated with increased sexual activity and reinforces the benefits of early vaccination.
  • The HPV vaccine will not cause your child/teen to have problems having children later in life. However, HPV vaccine protects fertility by preventing  HPV infections that can cause fertility issues.  For example, people who develop HPV cancer or precancer may need treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. These treatments can affect their ability to have children later in life. 

Background Information: Children and Adolescents

  • Research shows that parents trust their child’s healthcare provider the most as a trusted source for the HPV vaccine. The CDC and AAP encourage healthcare professionals to recommend HPV vaccination in the same way and on the same day that they recommend other vaccines for adolescents.
  • Excerpts from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations are summarized below. Detailed recommendations may be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html.
  • HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for girls and boys at 11 or 12 years old. Vaccination can be started at 9 years old.
  • ACIP also recommends HPV vaccination for everyone through age 26 if they were not adequately vaccinated when younger. HPV vaccination is given as a series of two or three doses, depending on age at initial vaccination. (See dosing schedule below).
  • Vaccination can be started at 9 years old. The National HPV Vaccination Roundtable has compiled new evidence, recently published, on the impact of initiating HPV vaccination at ages 9-10, including population studies, quality improvement projects, brief reports, and commentaries from experts in the field. The collection of published articles shows the benefits, effectiveness, and acceptability of routinely recommending HPV vaccination for all preteens starting at age nine.

Dosing Schedules for HPV Vaccination 

Two doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended for most persons who start the vaccine series before their 15th birthday.
  • The second dose of the HPV vaccine should be given 6 to 12 months after the first dose.
  • Adolescents who receive two doses less than 5 months apart will require a third dose of the HPV vaccine.

Three doses of HPV vaccine are recommended for teens and young adults who start the series at ages 15 through 26 years and for immunocompromised persons.
  • The recommended three-dose schedule is 0, 1–2 and 6 months.
  • Three doses are recommended for immunocompromised persons (including those with HIV infection) aged 9 through 26 years.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html and https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/

Contraindications and Precautions

A severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to a vaccine component or following a prior dose of the HPV vaccine is a contraindication to receipt of the HPV vaccine.
  • 9-valent HPV vaccine is produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) and is contraindicated for persons with a history of immediate hypersensitivity to yeast.
  • A moderate or severe acute illness is a precaution to vaccination, and vaccination should be deferred until symptoms of the acute illness improve.
  • A minor acute illness (e.g., diarrhea or mild upper respiratory tract infection, with or without fever) is not a reason to defer vaccination.

HPV vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy. Pregnant people should delay starting the vaccination series until after the pregnancy. However, pregnancy testing before vaccination is not needed. Although HPV vaccines have not been linked to causing adverse pregnancy outcomes or side effects (adverse events) to the developing fetus among pregnant people vaccinated inadvertently, HPV vaccines have not been studied in pregnant people in clinical trials.
  • If a person is found to be pregnant after starting the HPV vaccine series, second and/or third doses should be delayed until they are no longer pregnant.
  • If a person receives the HPV vaccine and later learns that they are pregnant, there is no reason to be alarmed.
  • Anyone who learns they are pregnant when they receive an HPV vaccine can contact the manufacturer at 1-877-888-4231.
  • Any suspected adverse events following HPV vaccination during pregnancy should be reported to VAERS.

Vaccine Efficacy

Studies in the United States and other countries have shown that HPV vaccination is already preventing cancer-causing infections, anogenital warts, and cervical precancers. Some data from other countries have found early evidence of vaccine effectiveness against cervical cancer.

To find out if the HPV vaccine is affecting cervical cancer rates in the United States, CDC scientists looked at data from United States Cancer Statistics from 1999 to 2017. The statistics provide information on new cancer cases and cancer deaths for nearly 98% of the United States population. They focused on girls and women in three age groups: 15 to 20, 21 to 24, and 25 to 29.

From 1999 to 2017, about 13,000 cervical cancers were found among girls and women who were 15 to 29 years old. That’s about 700 cancers per year in this age group. The total number of cervical cancer cases dropped for all age groups from 1999 to 2017.
  • In girls and women who were 15 to 20 years old, the number of cervical cancers dropped from 79 during 1999 to 2000 to 32 during 2015 to 2017.
  • In women who were 21 to 24 years old, cervical cancers dropped from 151 in 1999 to 69 in 2017.
  • In women who were 25 to 29 years old, cervical cancers dropped from 685 in 1999 to 492 in 2017.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/cervical-cancer-rates-young-women.htm

Data from clinical trials and ongoing research show that HPV vaccination provides long-lasting protection.
  • Protection by HPV vaccination lasts for more than 10 years without becoming less effective.
  • Studies are ongoing to evaluate the duration of protection further.
  • No data indicate that the protection from HPV vaccination lessens over time.
 
For more information on vaccine effectiveness and duration of protection, visit HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness Data | CDC.

Vaccine Safety

​HPV vaccines are very safe. Scientific research shows the benefits of HPV vaccination far outweigh the potential risks. Like all medical interventions, vaccines can have some side effects. All vaccines used in the United States, including HPV vaccines, undergo extensive safety testing before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licenses them. During clinical trials before the licensure, the 9-valent HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 was studied in more than 15,000 males and females and was found to be safe and effective. For more information about HPV vaccine safety, visit HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness Data | CDC.

Adverse Reactions

  • The most common adverse reactions reported during clinical trials of HPV vaccines were local reactions at the site of injection.
  • In prelicensure clinical trials, local reactions such as pain, redness, or swelling were reported by 20% to 90% of recipients.
  • A temperature of 100°F during the 15 days after vaccination was reported in 10% to 13% of HPV vaccine recipients. A similar proportion of placebo recipients reported an elevated temperature.
  • A variety of systemic adverse reactions have been reported by vaccine recipients, including nausea, dizziness, myalgia, and malaise. However, these symptoms occurred with equal frequency among both HPV vaccine and placebo recipients.
  • Local reactions generally increased in frequency with increasing doses. However, reports of fever did not increase significantly with increasing doses.
  • No serious adverse events have been associated with any HPV vaccine. CDC and the Food and Drug Administration conduct ongoing monitoring.

Syncope (fainting) can occur after any medical procedure, including vaccination. Adolescents should sit or lie down during vaccination and remain in that position for 15 minutes after vaccination. This is to prevent any injuries from a fall during a syncopal event.
Detailed HPV vaccine recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) may be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/hpv.html.

Tools for Healthcare Providers to Talk to Patients about HPV and the HPV Vaccine

Resources to Share with Parents and Patients

CDC handouts and materials: https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/hcp/educational-materials.html#parents

HPV Resources

​CDC: Reasons to get HPV Vaccine
CDC: HPV Vaccine information for parents
CDC: Cancers caused by HPV are preventable
HPV Roundtable: Start HPV Vaccination at age nine
ACOG: HPV Infection and Vaccination
CDC: The Pink Book, HPV Chapter
CDC: HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness Data
CDC: HPV information for healthcare professionals
CDC: Genital HPV infection