Men and women between the ages of nine and 45 can get the vaccine but it is highly recommended to vaccinate children earlier
An increasing number of parents in the UAE are willing to vaccinate their children against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), protecting them from several diseases including cervical cancer.
“I think we see a lot of young people as well showing interest in vaccination,” said Dr Seema Sen, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at Danat Al Emarat hospital. “There is definitely a bit of a cultural shift. Parents are realising that this vaccination is not to promote sexual promiscuity but protect women because we know that 99 per cent of cervical cancers arise in the background of HPV.”
HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer and cancers affecting vagina, vulva, penis, anus and throat. The vaccine can also protect against genital warts. Men and women between the ages of nine and 45 can get the vaccine but it is highly recommended to vaccinate children earlier.
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Social media has played a part in popularising the vaccine, according to Dr Charu Pannu, specialist paediatrics at Aster Clinic in Dubai Silicon Oasis. “The advent of social media and awareness campaigns have contributed to encouraging trends in HPV vaccination,” she said. “With increasing awareness, parents, particularly mothers, are themselves approaching healthcare providers for queries regarding this vaccine.”
Some experts said that earlier, the cancer was seen as a sign of promiscuity. “There used to be sort of a stigma because if you have greater than three sexual partners in your life, you're at higher risk,” said Dr Stephanie Ricci, Staff Physician at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. “However, there are still a lot of women who only have one sexual partner but they're unlucky enough to have the virus transferred to them and it impacts their whole life.”
She added that it only takes a “one-time exposure” to a high-risk strain of the HPV virus to cause significant damage to a person’s health.
The vaccine is recommended for both boys and girls. “What ideally we would like to see is that parents are open to vaccinating both their boys and girls,” said Dr Seema. “So we build up something called immunity within that cohort. This is so that the men are not infecting the women because they've also got immunity.”
Dr Charu specified the recommended doses. “As a paediatrician, I'm a strong advocate of the HPV vaccination to children, particularly girls in the age bracket of 11-12 years,” she said. “Two doses of HPV vaccines spaced 6-12 months apart is recommended. Children who start their vaccination on or after 15 years of age will need 3 doses of the vaccine spread over six month period.”
Dr Stephanie said that there are many women who get the vaccine when they are older. “When someone screens positive on their pap smear or HPV test and are identified as having cervical dysplasia, which are cells that develop in the cervix and are considered to be precancerous, then it is a risk factor,” she said. “If they're left untreated, they'll eventually develop into a cervical cancer. When older women come to me, having very severe cervical dysplasia, I still offer vaccination to them. There is actually good data to show that if they're treated and then vaccinated, their risk of recurrence is decreased by over 60 per cent.”
Dr Stephanie added that she has also seen many older men get vaccinated. “Some male partners of women with higher risk strands of HPV want to get vaccinated to try and protect their loved ones,” she said.
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Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her pulling off submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.