KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The KCMO Health Department is looking for a few hundred men and women to vaccinate. The HPV vaccine they want to administer isn’t without controversy, but many doctors say it’s essential in preventing cervical cancer.
The health department already offers it for kids aged 11-17, so the hundreds of doses available now are for men and women between the ages 18-25. A special grant paved the way to provide the vaccine.
“It’s very expensive, so if you’re going to get it, now is the time to get it free,” Ron Griffin with the health department said.
The department decided men and women in their late teens to early twenties are eligible for a simple reason, boys and girls 11-17 can already get the shots.
“We aren’t going to compete with our own VFC clinic, so this is now for those individuals who would not be eligible for VFC vaccine for children,” Griffin said.
The human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted disease and a key component to cervical cancer. Dr. Steve Lauer, a pediatrician at the University of Kansas Hospital, stressed the vaccine’s importance.
“For the first time we are able to intervene in that process by preventing infection with human papillomavirus, HPV, so the vaccine gets in the way of that process,” Dr. Lauer said.
The vaccine isn’t without controversy. First, it’s relatively new. Second, it’s most effective if given before boys and girls become sexually active. Dr. Lauer knows that’s a sensitive subject for parents, but says medically speaking, it’s a must. The sexual component is up to parents and their kids.
“That’s a family and behavioral issue, we’re talking about a medical condition here where we can really intervene in a devastating cancer for women,” Dr. Lauer said.
Dr. Lauer applauded the KCMO Health Department for offering it to older patients who can still benefit from the vaccine if they have not been infected.
“It still has potential there and the recommendation there is still to get vaccinated, but for the best results for everybody, earlier the better,” he said.