Feb. 02--The HPV vaccine won't cause sex.
As reported Monday, the Centers for Disease Control released an updated immunization schedule to protect adolescents against the human papillomavirus using the 9vHPV vaccine, an updated version that protects against 80 percent of the cervical, vulvar and anal cancers caused by HPV, which is usually contracted through sexual contact. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommend all boys and girls receive the vaccine by age 11 or 12, and that children who may have been exposed to sexual abuse receive the vaccine by age 9.
"The goal is to immunize children when there's no risk of them having been exposed yet," Alix Casler, medical director of pediatrics at Orlando Health Physicians Associates, told me Monday. "It's the concept of putting on your seat belt before you even turn on the engine. You don't wait until you're about to pull onto the highway."
But most parents take a pass on the vaccine, with just 40 percent of girls and 22 percent of boys between 13 and 17 having received the three recommended doses in 2014, according to CDC data.
Some parents fear the vaccine is a license to participate in sexual behavior. "I'm vaccinated, why not?"
Casler says that's nonsense.
"There's an extreme amount of data that shows educating our children does the exact opposite," she said. "Being open and communicating about being safe and wise with your body actually leads to less risky behavior."
Beginning in 2013, Casler and two dozen other pediatricians launched an initiative to increase the rate of HPV immunization across the United States. She has written and spoken about the topic extensively, and she wants this week's updated guidelines to further raise awareness about the importance of getting children vaccinated.
But vaccines, as we all know, can be a tough sell in this country. And a vaccine that requires an open discussion about sexual behavior? Well, sex ed can be a tough sell in this country too.
About that data Casler mentioned, though.
In a 2012 survey, 87 percent of teenagers said it would be "much easier" to postpone sexual activity and avoid pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Thirty-eight percent of teens said their parents most influenced their decisions about sex, compared to 22 percent who said friends most influence their decisions.
