Papillomavirus: vaccinate your teens

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are highly contagious viruses that infect the skin and mucous membranes. Over the course of their lifetime, 90% of men and women will have at least one HPV-related infection. The danger of the virus is that it goes unnoticed but can cause oral and genital cancers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer affecting women worldwide and the fourth cause of death from cancer in women¹ . Not only women are affected: four out of every ten cancers caused by HPV are found in men² .

An anti-cancer vaccine

The vaccine we offer for your child has been on the market since 2006 and is based on conventional technology. It activates defences against proteins in the virus to prevent it from entering the body. The WHO recommends this vaccine for both girls and boys. In fact, countries such as Australia, Argentina and Belgium are in the process of eradicating HPV-related cancers thanks to high immunisation rates³ !

As a reminder, since December 2023, the HPV vaccination is completely free of charge for individuals covered by Monegasque social security funds.

Without bias

1 - The vaccine is as useful and recommended for girls as it is for boys, as both will be infected by the virus and could therefore develop cancer in their lifetime. Two doses are required, six months apart, with no subsequent booster shot.

2 - The vaccine, which is more effective when the recipient is not yet sexually active, is recommended from the age of 11.

Side effects of the vaccine have been studied for over 10 years on several continents, particularly with regard to the appearance of autoimmune diseases. Of the hundreds of thousands of individuals in whom the vaccine was tested worldwide, the most common effects were mild, including pain and mild redness at the injection site.

[1] https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/cancer.html#:~:text=HPV%20doesn't%20only%20affect,at%20age%2011%E2%80%9312%20years .

[3] https://immunizationdata.who.int/pages/coverage/hpv.html?GROUP=Countries&ANTIGEN=15HPV1_F&YEAR=&CODE=