HPV Conversation Paper

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013), human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection with over 40 types that can cause infection. Many people who contract the disease never develop signs or symptoms; yet can still pass it on (CDC, 2013). In the case that symptoms do develop, HPV has been linked to genital warts and several types of cancer including cervical. To prevent one’s chance of developing these health effects, two vaccines have been created: Gardasil and Cervarix. Both of these vaccines are given in a series of three shots over a six-month period (CDC, 2013). One of the goals set by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as part of Health People 2020, is to decrease the amount of young women with HPV by 2020. To reach this goal, the public must be educated on the benefits of the vaccines in order to encourage them to receive it.

Discussion

In a study conducted at a community college, young women were asked questions via survey. The questions covered whether they had received any HPV doses and, if they had intercourse, at what age it occurred, how many partners they had in the past year and what type of protection was used (Marchand, Glenn, & Bastani, 2013). The results found that the majority of women surveyed received the vaccine after engaging in intercourse, and that condom use and number of partners was not affected by vaccine status (Marchand et al., 2013). While many parents have concerns for their young daughters, no connection has been found between HPV vaccine and earlier and/or riskier behavior. The vaccine is simply a precaution taken as a preventative measure in case something were to