HPV Vaccine
HPV Vaccine – Beating Cervical Cancer
When girls are aged 12 to 13 and are in year 8 at school, they are offered the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine. You will be sent an information pack from our Immunisation Team which tells you about the offer and will include a leaflet and a consent form.
The HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer.
Key facts:
- In the UK around 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year
- It is the most common cancer among women under the age 35
- Cervical cancer is caused by a very common virus called human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Cervical cancer develops in the cervix and is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus
- The vaccine used is Gardasil and this protects girls against four types of HPV; Type 16 and Type 18, which give a high risk for cervical cancer, and Type 6 and Type 11, which do not cause cervical cancer, but they do cause 90% of genital warts
- If you choose for your daughter to have the vaccine she will receive two doses by injection. The two doses are given between six and 24 months apart
- The vaccine is normally given at school
- The vaccine is not a replacement for safe sex and a healthy lifestyle.
Most people do not have any side effects from the vaccine. If they do they are mild and won’t last very long. These might include:
- Pain, swelling, redness/bruising or itching where you had the injection
- Headache
- Nausea
- Fever
- Dizziness.
If your child has any side-effects that worry you or any of these reactions last more than a few days, you should tell your school nurse or GP.