Many parents have strong opinions on vaccines in general; that’s no different when it comes to the HPV vaccine, which protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection. If infected with the virus, it can cause six types of cancer: cervical, vaginal, penile, anal, vulvar and oropharyngeal (or throat) cancer.
According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, adolescents between 11 and 12 are recommended to get the HPV vaccine. It is also appropriate for children ages 9 to 10, and catch-up vaccines are recommended for females and males between the ages of 12 and 45.
Dr. Eric Adjei Boakye, as assistant scientist at Henry Ford Health, said despite the proven safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, vaccination rates are low.
“Using CDC data, we found HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents decreased 5.5% annually from 2010 to 2012, then stayed the same from 2012 to 2020,”said Boakye, who led the study. “The proportion of parents citing safety or side effect concerns as a reason for refusing to vaccinate their children increased by 15.6% annually from 2010 to 2018.”
Boakye shared the top five reasons he sees why parents don’t get their children vaccinated for HPV – but why they should.
1. They think it’s not necessary.
“Parents who think the HPV vaccine isn’t necessary generally don’t believe in vaccines due to misinformation, but it is necessary,” Boakye said. “The HPV vaccine is one of only two cancer-prevention vaccines; the other is the hepatitis B vaccine to prevent liver cancer.”
The HPV vaccine reduces the risk of 90% of HPV-related cancers, according to Henry Ford Health. HPV is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, 90% of anal cancers, 69% of vaginal cancers, 51% of vulvar cancers, 40% of penile cancers and 70% of oropharyngeal (throat) cancers in the U.S. Cancer does not typically develop immediately after contracting the virus, but rather several years later.
2. Concern over potential side effects.
“There aren’t any long-term side effects to worry about,” Boakye said. “A myth that’s circulating around social media is that the HPV vaccine causes infertility, but there is no truth to this.”
To date in the U.S., more than 135 million doses have been given following approval of the vaccine for females in 2006 and males in 2009.
According to Henry Ford Health, the most common side effects are pain at the injection site and body aches, both of which should go away within 48 hours.
3. Lack of awareness about the HPV vaccine.
Boakye said even almost two decades after approval of the HPV vaccine, about a quarter of the population doesn’t know what HPV or the HPV vaccine is. The other issue is that they think it’s not for them.
“The vaccine was initially approved for females and, as a result, all marketing efforts were female-centric,” he said. “Therefore, most males thought HPV was a female disease and thus have low knowledge about it. But it is now FDA-approved for both males and females.”
4. Parents don’t know the age at which their children can get the vaccine.
“The HPV vaccine was initially marketed as a vaccine to prevent sexually transmitted infections, so many parents think their children don’t need it at an early age,” Boakye said. “It’s actually a cancer-prevention vaccine and works best at a younger age, when people may not have been exposed to HPV. Even if exposed, the vaccine is still effective since the probability that someone is infected with all nine strains the vaccine protects against is very low.”
5. Pediatricians who don’t inform parents on HPV vaccine recommendations.
“The No. 1 reason why people get vaccinated is because their doctor recommends it,” Boakye said. “Many people say if it’s not recommended, they don’t trust it. But the good news is, more doctors are recommending the HPV vaccine each year. If your doctor doesn’t recommend it, you can ask them about it.”
By 2020, approximately 75% of teenagers had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine, with 58.6% having completed the full series. According to Henry Ford Health, the target is to achieve an 80% completion rate for teens by 2030.
To learn more about vaccinations at Henry Ford Health, click or tap here.