In The Spotlight
January 2020 is Cervical Health Awareness Month!
The HPV vaccine can prevent cervical, head and neck, and other types of HPV-related cancers.
Governor Tony Evers signed a proclamation designating January 2020 as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Each year, thousands of Wisconsin women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening.
The Wisconsin Well Woman and Immunization Programs have teamed up to commemorate Cervical Health Awareness Month! We want you to know how you can find prevention services.
Infection with HPV can lead to certain types of cancers later in life.
Do you want to protect the pre-teens you love from getting future HPV-related cancers? Then talk about it! If you are a parent of a pre-teen, talk to your child's doctor today about getting the HPV vaccine. If you are a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or just have a pre-teen you love in your life, encourage them to get vaccinated against HPV cancers.
For the best protection, HPV vaccine is typically given at ages 11 and 12 years. If you miss that pre-teen window, your teen can still be vaccinated.
Most 11 and 12 year olds only need two doses of the vaccine, at least six months apart, for full protection. If your teen is vaccinated when they are 15 years of age or older, they will need three doses to get full protection.
HPV vaccine is safe and effective.
Many parents have asked us, "Is the HPV vaccine safe for my child?" Yes, we know the HPV vaccine is safe. Common complaints after getting the vaccine include: a low fever, headache, pain and redness in the arm where the vaccine was given.
Vaccines, especially HPV, are studied carefully before they are given to the public and are continually monitored.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has a great article that talks about vaccine safety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a video explaining the journey of your child's vaccine.
I'm looking for information for...
Parents
- HPV general information (CDC)
- HPV disease fact sheet (DPH) Spanish, English, and Hmong
- HPV fact sheet (CDC)
- HPV and cancer (American Cancer Society)
- Vaccines recommended at ages 11-12: What parents should know, P-90022
- Protecting Wisconsinites from HPV-related cancers - Infographic (Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Program) (PDF)
- Vaccine information statement (VIS)
- Public immunization record access
Health Care Providers and Local Public Health
The Iowa Department of Public Health produced and emotional video of HPV-related cancer survivors. A great reminder to give a strong recommendation for HPV vaccine.
- ACIP recommendations (CDC)
- HPV, Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: The Pink Book (CDC) (PDF)
- HPV vaccination information (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- HPV resource overview (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- Adolescent vaccination (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
- HPV resources (Immunization Action Coalition)
- Additional HPV information (CDC)
Webinars
- What is HPV? (MD Anderson Cancer Center)
- HPV and Throat Cancers (Vanderbilt Health)
- Addressing HPV Vaccine Hesitancy and Myths by Dr. Robert Bednarczyk, Emory University
- HPV Vaccination in American Indian Communities by Meggan McCann, American Indian Cancer Foundation
- HPV Vaccine in Public Schools presented by Healther Meador, Linn County, IA & Jeff Kindrai, Grant County, WI
- What is the HPV Vaccine and Do You Need the HPV Vaccine? By Dr. Costa Sousou, Mayo Clinic Health System
- The C.A.S.E Approach to HPV Vaccine Hesitancy by Dr. Robert Jacobson, Mayo Clinic Health System
