HPV vaccination rates in Marion County are very low among children according to Public Health Nurse Judi Van Hulzen and Care for Yourself Program Coordinator Carla Boat.

The HPV vaccination protects against cancers that can develop later in life as a result of contracting HPV Van Hulzen says only 20% of girls and 4% of boys in Marion County have received the needed shots typically given between 11 and 13 years of age. Van Hulzen says many parents don’t believe their child needs the vaccination, because they believe it is contracted through intercourse only. In reality the virus can be contracted through simple skin to skin contact and more than 79 million people have HPV. The vaccination is distributed at a young age because a child’s immune response is better, and the vaccine is more effective. Boat says the Care for Yourself program can assist women getting a pap test, which checks for cervical cancer and can help them if they are diagnosed with it. Van Hulzen is hopeful that HPV vaccination rates will increase. She says the risks are too great to be ignored. Cancers caused by HPV can include cervical, penile, mouth and throat cancer. The disease can lie dormant for years before cancer begins to develop.