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Human Papillomavirus (H.P.V.) Vaccine:
What You Need To Know

What is H.P.V.?
Genital human papillomavirus (H.P.V.) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. There are about 40 types of H.P.V.. About 20 million people in the U.S. are infected, and about 6.2 million more get infected each year. H.P.V. is spread through sexual contact.

Most H.P.V. infections don't cause any symptoms, and go away on their own. But H.P.V. is important mainly because it can cause cervical cancer in women. Every year in the U.S. about 10,000 women get cervical cancer and 3,700 die from it. It is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world.

H.P.V. is also associated with several less common types of cancer in both men and women. It can also cause genital warts and warts in the upper respiratory tract. More than 50 percent of sexually active men and women are infected with H.P.V. at sometime in their lives.
There is no treatment for H.P.V. infection, but the conditions it causes can be treated.

Why Get Vaccinated?
H.P.V. vaccine is an inactivated (not live) vaccine which protects against 4 major types of H.P.V.. These include 2 types that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and 2 types that cause about 90 percent of genital warts. H.P.V. vaccine can prevent most genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer.
Protection from H.P.V. vaccine is expected to be long-lasting. But vaccinated women still need cervical cancer screening because the vaccine does not protect against all H.P.V. types that cause cervical cancer.

Who Should Get H.P.V.Vaccine And When?
H.P.V. vaccine is routinely recommended for girls 11 and 12 years of age. Doctors may give it to girls as young as 9 years. It is important for girls to get H.P.V. vaccine before their first sexual contact - because they have not been exposed to H.P.V.. For these girls, the vaccine can prevent almost 100 percent of disease caused by the 4 types of H.P.V. targeted by the vaccine. However, if a girl or woman is already infected with a type of H.P.V., the vaccine will not prevent disease from that type.Catch-Up Vaccination
-The vaccine is also recommended for girls and women 13 through 26 years of age who did not receive it when they were younger. HPV vaccine is given as a 3-dose series:

1st Dose: Now
2nd Dose: 2 months after Dose 1
3rd Dose: 6 months after Dose 1

Additional (booster) doses are not recommended. H.P.V. vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

What about Vaccinating Boys?
We do not yet know if the vaccine is effective in boys or men. It is possible that vaccinating males will have health benefits for them by preventing genital warts and rare cancers, such as penile and anal cancer. It is also possible that vaccinating boys/men will have indirect health benefits for girls/women. Studies are now being done to find out if the vaccine works to prevent HPV infection and disease in males. When more information is available, this vaccine may be licensed and recommended for boys/men as well.

Some girls or women should not get H.P.V. vaccine or should wait.
-Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to yeast, to any other component of H.P.V. vaccine, or to a previous dose of H.P.V. vaccine should not get the vaccine. Tell your doctor if the person getting the vaccine has any severe allergies.

-Pregnant women should not get the vaccine. The vaccine appears to be safe for both the mother and the unborn baby, but it is still being studied. Receiving H.P.V. vaccine when pregnant is not a reason to consider terminating the pregnancy. Women who are breast feeding may safely get the vaccine.

Any woman who learns that she was pregnant when she got H.P.V. vaccine is encouraged to call the H.P.V. vaccine in pregnancy registry at 800-986-8999.
Information from this registry will help us learn how pregnant women respond to the vaccine.

-People who are mildly ill when the shot is scheduled can still get H.P.V. vaccine. People with moderate or severe illnesses should wait until they recover.

Take care of yourself. Take care of your family. Ask your friendly Pharmacists at Fobi Comprehensive Pharmacy @ 1-866-376-FOBI or your Health Care Professional about Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine, Influenza , pneumococcal and other vaccines.
Adopted from Vaccine Information Statement (Interim) Human Papillomavirus (H.P.V.) Vaccine 2/2/07.

William Fobi, Pharm.D

1-866-376-FOBI (3624) William Fobi, Pharm.D