Who should get vaccinated and why?
Why should I bother getting vaccinated?
Because HPV is very, very common! Eight out of 10 Canadians will be infected with this virus at least once in their lives. You might get HPV and not know it, because you won’t have any signs or symptoms. What’s even worse is that you could have one of the truly dangerous types of HPV – the ones that cause cancer – and not know this at all!
The good news is that most HPV infections will go away on their own. Within one year 70% of HPV infections will go away and 90% within two years.
The bad news is that if you do not know you have HPV and do not receive any treatment, it can turn into a dangerous infection or cancer of the cervix, the vagina, the vulvar or anus. For women, the results can be very serious:
- Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Canadian women aged 20 to 44, after breast cancer.
- As many as 1500 women in Canada are found to have cervical cancer each year, and more than 580 women die because of it.
- About 220 Canadian women die from cancer of the vulva or vagina each year.
Even if you do not get cancer, the warts and sores that come with some types of HPV will need to be burned off or frozen as part of your treatment.
You can do something to make sure none of this happens to you.
Who should be vaccinated?
Vaccination has been approved for use in Canada for girls, women and young men aged 9 to 26.
Why should I be vaccinated? I’m not even thinking about sex.
Because when you are vaccinated at a young age, it works better. HPV vaccination provides the best levels of immunity in girls aged 9 to13, before they start having any kind of sexual activity. The level of immunity is what protects you from HPV: higher levels mean best protection. This means that 9 to 13 year-old girls who get vaccinated are likely to be protected longer from HPV.
What if I am already having sex? Is it too late?
HPV vaccination can still work even if you are sexually active. There is a chance that you may have been exposed to one of the kinds of HPV covered by vaccination, but you probably haven’t been exposed to all of the HPV types covered by vaccination.
If you’ve had a Pap test with abnormal results, genital warts or even an HPV infection, getting vaccinated is still a good idea for you.
Who should not be vaccinated?
If you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant, do not get vaccinated. If you have a blood condition, an immune disorder or other health problems, talk to a health care professional. They can tell you if vaccination is right for you.
