HPV Vaccination

The HPV vaccine is the first vaccine used to prevent cancer. The CDC recommends that boys and girls receive a vaccine to prevent HPV starting at age 9. There are two vaccines available:
Gardasil: available to boys and girls age 9-26. It protects against 4 strains of HPV –two that cause genital warts and two that cause abnormal Paps. There are three shots in the series given at 0. 2, and 6 months.
Cervarix: available to girls from age 9-26. It protects against two strains of HPV causing abnormal Paps. There are three shots in the series given at 0, 1, and 6 months.
Approximately 57 million doses of HPV vaccine have been administered in the US in the last 7 years. The most common side effects are dizziness, nausea and pain at the injection site.