New York City has launched a new advertising campaign explaining how the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can help prevent cancer.
The campaign, launched on August 11, will encourage parents of adolescents to vaccinate their children against HPV – a common virus that can cause changes in the cells of parts of the body, in particular the cervix in girls, leading to the development of cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 33,200 HPV-associated cancer cases in the US each year. Despite this only 47 per cent of boys and 64 per cent of girls aged 13-17 in New York City have received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.
HPV vaccination can reduce a child’s risk of certain HPV-related cancers by up to 99% per cent and reduce the risk of genital warts that may result from HPV infection, said the city health department.
The advertisements, in both English and Spanish, will run in subway cars for two months.
“Many of our younger New Yorkers have not been vaccinated against HPV, despite the vaccine’s ability to prevent many types of cancer, including cervical cancer,” said health commissioner Dr Mary Bassett.
“I encourage parents to use their child’s back-to-school doctor’s appointment as an opportunity to protect their children against HPV. Getting vaccinated today can prevent cancer down the road.”
The HPV vaccine has been proven to effectively protect against precancerous changes in the cervix, anus, vulva, and vagina. Recent research suggests it may also help prevent oropharyngeal cancer.
The vaccine is recommended for children of 11-12 years of age, but can be given to children as young as nine. It works best when given before sexual activity starts as the immune response is higher than among older teens and young adult.
This is not the NYC health department’s first HPV initiative. The department published a health bulletin, ‘Protect your Child from HPV’ in late 2013.
Leading HPV vaccines include Gardasil, developed by Merck & Co, and Cervarix, developed by GlaxoSmithKline.