23 votes

HPV vaccination: How the world can eliminate cervical cancer

11 comments

  1. [6]
    kollkana
    Link
    I'm part of that '90-'93 cohort. At the time it didn't feel nearly as radical as "this could end cervical cancer", because the messaging I got was: HPV can cause cervical cancer There are...

    I'm part of that '90-'93 cohort. At the time it didn't feel nearly as radical as "this could end cervical cancer", because the messaging I got was:

    • HPV can cause cervical cancer
    • There are thousands of HPV strains
    • Having two sexual partners is statistically enough to catch one
    • This vaccine only covers four strains

    I only took it because I'll take any free vaccine, but that chart is incredible.

    15 votes
    1. [5]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I got the "these 4 strains cause most of the cancer and the warts" As well as the "You're telling our daughters to have sex. They don't need it because they're not going to have sex before...

      I got the "these 4 strains cause most of the cancer and the warts"

      As well as the
      "You're telling our daughters to have sex. They don't need it because they're not going to have sex before marriage so we won't get it.

      But I have mostly been slightly out of the age range for the vaccine since it came out.

      5 votes
      1. [4]
        tanglisha
        Link Parent
        This has been so incredibly frustrating for me. It seemed like they kept pushing the age cutoff just where I wouldn't meet it, regardless of personal sexual history. I was told they assume you...

        This has been so incredibly frustrating for me. It seemed like they kept pushing the age cutoff just where I wouldn't meet it, regardless of personal sexual history. I was told they assume you already have all the strains, so it's useless. But what if I had exposure to fewer than 4 of them? Avoiding cancer seemed with it for me.

        I finally did find a doctor who gave it to me, but that took a long time and insurance didn't cover it.

        I never even heard of the vaccine until the 2000's, despite graduating high school in the 90's.

        3 votes
        1. [3]
          kollkana
          Link Parent
          The vaccine wasn't available until 2006 according to the article, so it makes sense that that's when you'd first hear about it. The cohorts described in the chart are grouped by year of birth, in...

          The vaccine wasn't available until 2006 according to the article, so it makes sense that that's when you'd first hear about it. The cohorts described in the chart are grouped by year of birth, in case that was adding to the confusion.

          5 votes
          1. [2]
            tanglisha
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Pretty sure I was taking the year of birth as the year the vaccine was taken. Thank you for clarifying, I didn't think my school was ever anti vax.

            Pretty sure I was taking the year of birth as the year the vaccine was taken. Thank you for clarifying, I didn't think my school was ever anti vax.

            1 vote
            1. DefinitelyNotAFae
              Link Parent
              There was a lot of societal pushback on these vaccines as promoting sexual promiscuity or being unnecessary because "my daughter won't have sex before marriage." I might have been able to sneak a...

              There was a lot of societal pushback on these vaccines as promoting sexual promiscuity or being unnecessary because "my daughter won't have sex before marriage."

              I might have been able to sneak a dose in, but I mostly was too old and then just kind of forgot about it.

              2 votes
  2. [2]
    ahatlikethat
    Link
    My mom died of HPV-positive orthopharyngeal cancer. A (male) childhood friend was diagnosed with the same thing weirdly at the same time. Fortunately he was much younger and the cancer was also...

    My mom died of HPV-positive orthopharyngeal cancer. A (male) childhood friend was diagnosed with the same thing weirdly at the same time. Fortunately he was much younger and the cancer was also caught earlier; he is still in remission.

    Just putting it out there, because HPV-related cancer is not just a female thing. Boys and men can get the vaccine too, and decrease their chance of an awful disease. My mom spent the last seven years of her life "eating" out of a tube in her stomach and having to constantly spit saliva into a tissue because the radiation destroyed her esophagus.

    Here is another link, to a Mayo Clinic articlediscussing the HPV in relation to head and neck cancer.

    (edited because I am markdown-impaired)

    11 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      My dad died after having multiple cancers, but the first was HPV caused throat cancer. While that was successfully treated it kicked off a string of treatment causing more problems and additional...

      My dad died after having multiple cancers, but the first was HPV caused throat cancer. While that was successfully treated it kicked off a string of treatment causing more problems and additional cancers before he passed away at home. He was only 61ish.

      Folks should get vaxed if they can.

      6 votes
  3. [2]
    sparksbet
    Link
    I'm young enough that I should be a cohort with low rates, but I never got the HPV vaccine because my family was religious and saw is as encouraging promiscuity. When I moved out on my own in the...

    I'm young enough that I should be a cohort with low rates, but I never got the HPV vaccine because my family was religious and saw is as encouraging promiscuity. When I moved out on my own in the US, I couldn't afford it. When I moved to Europe, I was never offered it by my gynecologists (perhaps because they assumed everyone my age would've gotten it as a teenager?) and now I'm too old to get it.

    4 votes
    1. GenuinelyCrooked
      Link Parent
      That is exactly how it went for me. Hopefully I won't get any of these preventable cancers, but if I do I absolutely intend to make it clear to my family that it was preventable, and specifically...

      That is exactly how it went for me.

      Hopefully I won't get any of these preventable cancers, but if I do I absolutely intend to make it clear to my family that it was preventable, and specifically to my sisters that they should make sure their children receive these vaccines.

      4 votes
  4. crdpa
    (edited )
    Link
    I'm almost 40 and had substantial sex partners. It didn't exist while I was young so never got it. I looked to pay for it years ago, but it's expensive and, as far as I understood, useless for me.

    I'm almost 40 and had substantial sex partners. It didn't exist while I was young so never got it.

    I looked to pay for it years ago, but it's expensive and, as far as I understood, useless for me.

    1 vote