HPV Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Cancer Suitable for Preteens
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Jakarta – A new study revealed that the best way to prevent cervical cancer in women is to give the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine to boys and girls under the age of 15 or Preteens.
HPV vaccination, especially in girls under the age of 15 is one of the Indonesian government's ongoing programs to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in the future.
Globally, the HPV vaccine target is to reduce the incidence rate to 4/100,000 population per year by 2030.
Moreover, HPV vaccination is most effective in pre-adolescent children as they are less sexually active than adults.
The occurrence of cervical cancer in women also goes through a fairly long process of about 10-15 years before cancer is finally found.
Therefore, 9-14 years old is the most appropriate time to get HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer.
"HPV vaccine is given to children because it is most optimally given at pre-adolescent age, optimal in immunity. When cervical cancer happens, the infection has lasted for 10-15 years," said dr Kurniawan Satria Denta in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Children aged 9-14 years with inactive sexual conditions also have higher antibodies than adults. Therefore, the HPV vaccine will work more optimally to prevent the body from virus that causes cervical cancer.
Children only need to get two injections or two doses of HPV vaccine. While adults need three doses of HPV vaccine.
"After research, it's known that if you give the vaccine in adolescence, they are not yet sexually active. The antibodies are high, the protection is high. It's so high, it only takes two injections," dr Denta explained.Â
Furthermore, he remarked that the HPV vaccine is safe to be given to children at an early age.
However, the side effects of HPV vaccine administration can be felt some time after the injection, namely pain in the hand due to the needle.
"HPV vaccination is not new but has been around for a long time. Even in the United States they have data from 2006, one hundred million doses have been given. There are no severe side effects, at most the usual side effects such as pain," he continued.
Not only for prateens, HPV vaccine is also important for adolescents and adult women.