Why Is An HPV Vaccine An Important Consideration?

In 2006, a HPV vaccine was developed for the treatment of the Human Papilloma Virus. The development has been extremely important in being able to keep young women and girls safe from this disease. The HPV virus affects a large amount of individuals in the United Sates; about 50 percent.
And as for women, which the vaccine was developed for, it is estimated that around 80 percent of females will have been exposed to the HPV Virus by the age of 50. The more we understand about this disease and how to prevent it, the more that can be done to lower the amount of people who get it.
The vaccine for HPV is called Gardasil, and is marketed by Merck. It has been found to be nearly one hundred percent effective in preventing the four strains of HPV that, when put together, account for seventy percent of the cases of cervical cancer and ninety percent of the cases of Genital Warts. It is administered in three doses over a six-month period.
The vaccine is most effective if it is given before females become sexually active. It is currently recommended that girls be vaccinated at about the ages of eleven or twelve. The vaccine can be safely administered to girls as young as nine, and women as old as twenty-six years of age. Investigations are currently being done to find out if the vaccine is safe and effective to administer to boys and young men.
The HPV vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women. A study has found that pregnant women who received the vaccine were no more likely to have adverse outcomes than those who received a placebo. However, it is still recommended that a woman who is pregnant complete her pregnancy before receiving the vaccine. If a woman learns she is pregnant after starting the course of the vaccination, then she should wait until after she has had her baby to receive the second and third injections.
There are many different strains of the Human Papilloma Virus and the HPV vaccine does not protect individuals against all of them. However, it can help reduce the risk that a female has of contracting the disease. It is important to not that if you are sexually active, the use of a condom will not completely protect you against the virus.
This is because the HPV virus is spread by contact with the skin. Condoms do not cover all of the areas that could be infected. Before a young girl or woman becomes sexually active, they should consider taking the vaccine.