Vaccination against cervical cancer/HPV

[nooshoo]

This vaccination protects against a sexually transmitted virus which can lead to cancer and other problems. Does anyone know why is it recommended as standard for children from 11 years, is it because there is perceived realistic risk of sexual contact occuring from this age?

No they said it was our choice completely that they understood our concerns and they always advise to vaccinate but to reassure us they mentioned about herd immunity.

I am old enough to have been vaccinated for rubella around that age and it was common knowledge that we girls were vaccinated against rubella so that we wouldn't catch it later while pregnant and risk our babies being born with sight or heart problems. I'd love to see your source disputing this.

Perhaps I should have quoted the post talking about Rubella and ages children were given this, but there was a conversation about it a page or so ago. The posts are moving pretty fast here!

Here it is given in year 8 and the second dose in year 9 so the majority of children are 12 or 13 for dose 1 and 13 or 14 for the 2nd.

Yes! Yes we were vaccinated against it to protect against catching it during pregnancy (or indeed, passing the virus to a pregnant woman).

I would be very sceptical of a GP who talks about herd immunity with regard to HPV. I would be concerned that, especially when discussing girls, they may hold misogynistic views.

The vaccination programme was started in 2008. Not everyone has had it below the age of 35, Most older people and some who were brought up in other countries won’t have had it. We are a long way from herd immunity.

No of course not

Better hope she doesn't get genital warts, which the HPV vaccine also protects against.

Yes so they could revert to doing smear tests that don't look for HPV potentially. But the current type wouldn't be needed if everyone was vaccinated.

I've just Googled - Why is the HPV vaccine given at 11? and it's all there. The reasons pp's have said and that the younger the nipper, the better they hold to vaccination so 11 has been decided as the best of all worlds.

Google is your friend.

Herd immunity doesn't apply - your daughters will most likely have sex with boys who haven't been vaccinated. Or older men who've slept with unvaccinated women. You have been badly advised.

Yes, but in some countries you can get it at any age, even though it hasn't really been tested for older women. My 50 year old friend was recommended to have it by her gynaecologist.

It isn't about the majority, which you sound obsessed with, it's about the outliers whom they'd like to be covered as well. Because yes, some children are sexually active around the age of 12, and they also deserve to be covered by this vaccine.

Whether or not we as parents approve of this has no bearing on the evidence that it is happening.

Yes, definitely. I was given the rubella vaccine at 11 or 12 in case I passed it on to a future baby. Never had such a baby so was a waste on me.

@nooshoo https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7b362bed915d3ed9062e5f/Green-Book-Chapter-28-v2_0.pdf

It is correct and we were vaccinated for this precise reason

He'll be saying something different if he contracts penile warts 😅

"So recommending vacc for most children at 11 is still slightly odd."

How would you differentiate which children need it early and which don't?

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-warts/

I'm really sorry your poor child has experienced this. Was this Gardasil vaccine? There is a tiny fraction of children who do go on to get POTS. I worry so much about this, I don't want my children to be injured.

I had HPV in my 20s but I cleared it as it doesn't appear on any of my cervical smears. From my understanding they let you know if you have the high risk strains. It's not perfect but at least you know.

I am hesitant for both my children. Again I'm really so sorry for your child and your family that you experienced this. My DD has a number of autoimmune diseases and I'm hesitant, even though there is no researched connection.

"Most people I knew started having sex at university."

Most people you knew or most of your friends? Because quiet, studious people with strict parents sometimes also hang out with similar teenagers, but other kids may not be the same and you know that the average is a bit younger.

I remember when I got my vaccine at 11, I was told I had to immediately start having sex. They told me I'd fail vaccine class if I didn't immediately put out to all the boys in my class :(

You can clear genital warts.

9 out of 10 people clear HPV within 2 years.

What point are you trying to make OP?

When it's 'cleared', doesn't that just mean dormant? I thought it could always come back, but only shows up in tests when active.

I don't agree on the second one because when we got the separate rubella vaccine, boys didn't get the vaccine so it wasn't about not passing it to a pregnant woman, it was to avoid passing it to your baby.