Nurses on Vancouver Island will be heading to schools soon to offer a vaccine to grade 11 and 12 students.
They will be offering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that helps protect against types of the virus that can cause cancers of the cervix, anus, mouth and throat, penis, vagina, and vulva, as well as genital warts.
“Nurses continue to routinely visit students in grade 6 to offer the HPV vaccine and now we are offering this to students who may have missed it in the past,” medical health officer Dr. Christina Kay said in a statement.
“When given at a young age, the HPV vaccine is nearly 100 per cent effective at preventing infection of the most common types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer, other cancers, and genital warts.”
Typically, the HPV vaccine is administered in Grade 6.
Across Island Health in 2023, an average 55 per cent of children in Grade 6 were immunized for HPV (North Island 47 per cent, Central Vancouver Island 53.9 per cent, South Vancouver Island 65 per cent).
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It is one of the most commonly sexually-transmitted infections that can be transmitted both sexually and through skin-to-skin contact.
The Canadian Cancer Society says about 75 per cent of sexually active people who have not been vaccinated against HPV will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
While most infections will go away on their own, some will not and can become cancerous over time.
“The HPV vaccine is safe,” says Dr. Kay. “More than 200 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been given worldwide. Over 15 years of monitoring continues to show that the vaccine is safe and effective.”
Parents, caregivers and students will receive a letter from Island Health through their schools in January and February informing them of the upcoming immunization clinics.
Two doses of vaccine are currently recommended for nine to 14-year-olds and three doses are recommended for ages 15 and older, according to Island Health.
HPV vaccine is also recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), but not provided free in B.C., for individuals ages 19 to 45 years and males 19 years and older who have sex with men.
HPV vaccine is available for purchase at pharmacies and travel clinics.
