One Vaccine. Protection against 200 viruses and 6 types of cancer.
What if we told you there was a vaccine series that could protect you and your children from a very common group of 200 viruses that have been linked as the cause of SIX types of cancer?
Can you guess the vaccine?
Let’s walk through some facts about this vaccine series, and then we can see if you can guess what vaccine we’re talking about:
- An estimated 3% of all cancers in women and 2% of all cancers in men in the United States are caused by this virus group
- This vaccine provides the most protection to both boys and girls when given at age 9-12
- There are nearly 14 million new infections with this virus group every year in the United States
- These shots could prevent about 33,000 cancer cases every year in the US—if the majority of those eligible to receive the vaccine, got it
- Since this vaccine was introduced, infections with these virus types that cause cancers and infections have dropped 88% among teen girls and 81% among young adult women
- As of 2021, only 61.7% of 13-17 year olds in the United States had completed this vaccine series
- Also as of 2021, Mississippi’s vaccine rate for this vaccine series ranked last in the US, with only 32.7% of 13-17 year olds fully vaccinated
- This vaccine series is given in multiple doses. The first ideally at age 9-12 and the second dose 6-132 months after the first dose. Children who start this vaccine series on or after their 15th birthday need three doses, given over 6 months.