Human Papillomavirus - HPV
Again this September, all grade 8 girls in Ontario will be offered the HPV vaccine Gardasil® free of charge. The vaccine is not mandatory, but strongly recommended as a major component of cervical cancer prevention. Public health nurses will be offering the first dose of the FREE vaccine in school clinics in September and October. An information package with consent forms will be coming home with your grade 8 daughter this September. For more information, contact Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248 ext. 7425, or 1-888-505-6074. |
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, spread easily between two people through skin to skin contact. Most infections caused by HPV will go away on their own. Others may develop into visible genital warts. In some cases HPV infections go undetected and lead to various cancers, such as cervical cancer.
It is important to know that 99.7 per cent of all cervical cancers are caused by an HPV infection. The good news is that there is now a vaccine (Gardasil®) to protect young women.
What is Gardasil® ?
Gardasil® is a safe three dose vaccine available to all women aged 9-26 years. The vaccine protects against 4 types of HPV; two of the most commonly linked to cervical cancer and two of the most commonly linked to genital warts.
You can receive Gardasil® from your doctor - prices will vary. At Niagara Region Public Health the vaccine is available for $150.00 per dose (a total of 3 doses needed), call 905-688-8248 ext. 7425 or 1-888-505-6074 to book an appointment.
Check with your independent health insurance provider to see if this is covered in your plan and ask your doctor for more information.
Why Should You be Vaccinated?
- HPV spreads easily from person to person and often there are no signs or symptoms.
- even if you have only one partner, there is still has a 40 per cent chance of becoming infected with one or more of the HPV viruses.
- each year 1,400 women in Canada learn they have cervical cancer and more than 400 die from it.
- it could happen to you. But it doesn't have to.
Useful Sites:
- HPV Ontario - www.hpvontario.ca
- HVP Info for students - www.hpvinfo.ca
- Cancer Care Ontario - www.cancercare.on.ca
Ministry Information Line:
If you would like to contact the Ministry regarding HPV and Gardasil® you can call:
1-866-559-4598
