Protecting
Children Against HPV
Children and HPV Vaccines
Nowadays, children are becoming sexually active early in life.1 So, there’s no better time to protect your child than before they are exposed to HPV through any sexual activity.2
HPV infection in children may cause common warts, genital warts, wart-like growths in the respiratory track, and abnormal cells which may develop into cancer.3
As cervical cancer is not a genetic disease that passes on from generation to generation, your child can still develop the disease even if you don’t have a family history of cervical cancer.4
A child who is vaccinated before becoming sexually active will be protected from the most common and high-risk types of the HPV virus and will not go on to spread the virus to others later in life.2
Apart from a lifetime of abstinence, HPV vaccination is an effective way to help protect your child from HPV-related cancers.2
When can my child be vaccinated?
According to international guidelines, a child can be vaccinated as early as 9 years old. In fact, the immune system’s response to HPV vaccines is stronger at that age.2
Both boys and girls can be vaccinated against HPV. Before turning 15, a child will only require 2 doses of the HPV vaccine to be fully protected. A third dose will be needed to ensure complete protection after the age of 15.2
If you are worried as a parent, the safety of HPV vaccines is regularly reviewed by the Global Advisory Committee for Vaccine Safety (GACVS). So far, more than 270 million doses of HPV vaccines have been administered in 74 countries.2