Vaccination against cervical cancer

There are many diseases of the female reproductive system that can be avoided by getting vaccinated as a child. It is the responsibility of the parents to reduce the risk of a girl developing cancer in the future, as they are the ones who decide on the vaccination. Therefore, it is very important to get all the necessary information, analyze and draw conclusions based on it.

One of the main causes of cervical cancer is infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). This is a group of viruses that includes more than 100 genotypes. The virus is quite common and it is easy to get infected not only during sex, but also through touching the genitals. In this case, the development of oncology can occur in a fairly short time after infection with HPV.

The only effective means against HPV infection is vaccination, because even the use of a condom does not protect against infection 100%. As a rule, vaccinations are given against the most dangerous genotypes (16 and 18), which, according to international studies, are the cause of cervical cancer in women.

Depending on the type of vaccine against human papillomavirus, girls aged 9-12 years are vaccinated. For a complete immunologic response, the vaccine is administered 3 times with a break between vaccinations from 5 months to 1 year. For the formation of full immunity should pass 7 months after vaccination. Thus, by the time of puberty, immunity will be fully formed.

In addition to reducing the risk of cervical cancer (by 90%), vaccination reduces the risk of other cancers, namely vaginal cancer (97%) and rectal cancer (77%). The vaccine also prevents genital warts.