According to OB-GYN Montgomery County Dr. Rania Ibrahim, the FDA just this week approved a new vaccine that protects against additional types of cancer-causing viruses.
The new the vaccine, which is called Gardasil 9, fights infection with nine strains of the cancer-causing HPV. Previous vaccines protected against only two or four of the viruses. Gardasil 9 has the ability to prevent about 90 percent of cervical, vaginal, vulvar and anal cancers.
According to your OB-GYN Montgomery County, this new vaccine has been approved for females between the ages of 9 and 26 and for males between the ages 9 and 15. It has been sanctioned for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers caused by certain HPV types and for the prevention of genital warts caused by HPV.
The five new HPV types covered by the vaccine account for approximately 20 percent of all cases of cervical cancers.
Most people don’t realize how widespread HPV is. The viruses produce warts and other lesions and two in particular cause cancers of the cervix, anus and penis, and the mouth and throat. The CDC reports that approximately 14 million people are infected each year with the cancer-causing forms of HPV. Your OB-GYN Montgomery County finds that most sexually active men and women will experience at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives, but the infections typically go away without causing harm.
All boys and girls should get three doses of the vaccine – beginning at age 11 or 12 – but not enough do. Only about one third of the girls who should have completed the vaccine series have received all three doses, and the numbers are even worse for boys.
While almost 60 percent of pre-teen or teen girls have received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine, only 35 percent of boys have as reported by the CDC.
If you would like more information regarding this new HPV vaccine – don’t hesitate – call the office of OB-GYN Montgomery County Dr. Rania Ibrahim today to schedule a confidential consultation.