HPV Jabs

I remember a period of Year 9 when the terror of 'HPV jabs' was the biggest stress in my life. (How I miss those days). I also recall knowing little, if not nothing, about what I was being vaccinated against. So, when I saw an article about it in a June edition of The New Scientist, I was intrigued and kept reading. I was excited to find new information and to understand those distant injections.

Since 2008, all girls in the UK between the ages of 12-13 are vaccinated against Human Papilloma virus. This virus is known to possibly cause cervical cancer and is spread by sexual activity. The idea is that the girls receive these vaccines before their sexual 'debut'. Currently, it is only given to girls.

The article that I read was about the pending decision in the UK to make the vaccine available to gay and bisexual men as the virus can also cause penile, anal and throat cancer. However, it is currently given to all boys in the US and Australia and I think the UK should follow suit. The idea, as I previously mentioned, is to get the vaccine before your sexual 'debut' so that people are protected against the virus before being exposed to it.

Back to my HPV jab nightmares and curiosity about what HPV is.
HPV (Human Papilloma virus) is actually the name given to a virus family. These viruses can be high risk or low risk depending on the conditions they cause. High risk = cervical cancer. Low risk= warts and verrucas.

How would the vaccine help? Well it contains Gardasil which protects against the two viruses that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases and also as a bonus protect against the virus that causes genital warts.

It has been proven that the vaccine protects you for as long as 10 years and scientists think it could be longer. Thinking about it now, I realise how lucky I am to have received those jabs through the NHS when I was younger. The terror was definitely worth it.

Thanks for reading and please look out for more.

Aisha