April is Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Month. It is estimated that more than 68,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancers in the U.S. each year. This month, the West Virginia Immunization Network is working to remind West Virginians that some oral, head, and neck cancers can be prevented with vaccination.
HPV infection can cause cancer. Oropharyngeal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the oropharynx. Smoking and infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can increase the risk of oropharyngeal cancer. In fact, about 60–70% of cancers of the oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) may be linked to HPV. West Virginia has one of the highest HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer rates in the nation.
HPV is a very common virus that can lead to certain types of cancers in both men and women. In addition to causing cancer in the throat, tongue, and tonsils, HPV infection can cause other cancers as well, including cancers of the penis, anus, cervix, vagina, and vulva. Sometimes, HPV infection does not cause any immediate symptoms, so those who have HPV may not know it until cancer has developed years, or even decades, later.
HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. The HPV vaccine protects against nine HPV types that can cause cancer in both males and females. As a result, HPV infections and cervical pre-cancers (abnormal cells on the cervix that can lead to cancer) have dropped significantly since the vaccine has been in use. Among teen girls, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV-associated cancers have dropped 88 percent since the HPV vaccine became available.
Completing the HPV vaccine series is essential to building maximum protection against HPV and the cancers it causes. HPV vaccination can protect your child from getting HPV and the cancers it can cause.
The vaccine is recommended for boys and girls beginning at age 9. Two doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended, 6 to 12 months apart, for teens less than 15 years of age. If the vaccine is started at age 15 or later, then the HPV vaccines are given in a series of 3 shots over a six-month period. For the best protection, it is important for your child to get all the doses recommended for their age.
In West Virginia, children 9 and older can receive HPV vaccines at their health care providers’ office, a community health center, the local health department, pharmacies, and at some school-based health clinics.
Most health insurance plans cover preteen and teen vaccination. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program also provides vaccines for children 18 years and younger who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, American Indian, or Alaska Native. Contact your child’s health care provider or a local health department for more information about the VFC program.
For more information about HPV vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents or contact a health care provider.