Dealing with grade school, puberty and becoming a teenager are difficult enough challenges in a young person’s life, without adding in the threat of a disease that could give them cancer; which is exactly what HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is. As hard as it is for a parent to accept that this very real threat is out there, waiting for our children to become sexual beings, it is information we must provide them with. The good news is there is a smart, effective way to share information about HPV and how to prevent it. This will allow parents the opportunity to dispel some of the common misconceptions without frightening their children.
My daughter started Grade 8 this year and will be receiving the HPV vaccine soon. My very impressionable teenager seemed overwhelmed with what she had been told about HPV and insisted I sign the form right away. I told Emily that while I felt the vaccine was very important and not a matter to be taken lightly, I wanted to get more information from our family doctor before completing the form. Unfortunately, that would mean the form could not be returned to school before it ended for the year. I was taken aback when Emily proclaimed that if I didn’t sign the form, she would not be able to get the vaccine, which meant I was willingly signing her death warrant.
Those were some pretty strong sentiments for a 13 year old, but her fear was real. All she knew was that HPV could cause cancer. Having recently experienced a family death from this very disease, I understood where some of her trepidation came from, but how could I calm her down if I didn’t have all of the answers myself? To complicate things even more, I was pretty sure a lot of her information came from the playground. That could mean some of her panic was the result of facts and figures being misrepresented.
Childhood should be about making friends, not worrying about getting sick.
Fortunately, the Ontario government is committed to educating the public about HPV and how we can help prevent it. This includes the newest addition to the HPV Immunization Program: as of September 2016, boys and girls in Grade 7 can now get the vaccine. I knew that the vaccine was available to girls and has been for some time, but I had no idea that boys were eligible too. This change brings Ontario in line with other provinces where the vaccine is offered between Grades 4 through 7. Experts agree that the vaccine is most effective if given between the ages of 9 and 13, before a child becomes sexually active.
With the help of the Ontario HPV Immunization Program website, my daughter and I were able to have a rather mature conversation about her fears concerning HPV and the vaccine. By reading the website material together, I was able to show Emily that while HPV is a very common virus worldwide, with approximately three out of four sexually active Canadians being infected at some point in their lives, it can be prevented with some education and the HPV vaccine.
Ironically, the toughest part to explain to my daughter was not about the dangers of contracting HPV; it was about what could happen if the form did not get returned on time. With the time crunch that often comes at the end of the school year and the need to share this extremely important information with the students in Grade 7, it looks like some of the children left believing the exact opposite of what was true: that they could return the form at the start of the new school year with plenty of time to receive the HPV vaccine in Grade 8.
Now that the year is well under way, my daughter and her classmates have had several discussions with their teacher about the HPV vaccine. It came as a very nice surprise to learn that Emily was able to confidently stand up in front of her class and share her new found knowledge on the importance of getting the vaccine.
FT&PD
Suz
**For more information please visit: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ms/hpv/
Disclosure:This post was developed in association with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The opinions of the author are their own.
It’s so important to keep up to date with vaccine’s that could really save your life.Your daughter got such a nice smile !
Thank you Kathy! And that is why these vaccines are so important – so our children can be happy and carefree. <3
I do think that it’s important to get this vaccination as early as possible and I also think that a better job should have been done to impress upon the school children that the form had to be returned before the end of term and not at the beginning of the next term.
It definitely caused some strife for my daughter Elizabeth. I think that it will be handled better this year too. And now that the boys can receive it, they can start educating the whole class earlier.
Good to see more education about the vaccine.
I agree Linda. We have to spread the word!
Thankfully I have a bit more time to sort all this out. Our guy will be 6 years old soon not in grade six!
It is good to have some time to process everything Lisa. Some provinces are providing it even earlier than grade six and seven though. This will allow you to be well prepared when the time comes.
Wow! Even when presented with evidence to the contrary, ignores the deeply concerning facts, deletes post to hide my response, then reposts, to show only “positive & unfortunately, under informed feedback only”. I am unimpressed and unsubscribing. Sayonara and good luck!
Hi Caroline, I am not sure what you are referring to, but I have not deleted any comments, nor would I (unless they were offensive to others). I am sorry you feel this way, but you are always welcome back.
Hi Caroline, I was just going through my posts to try and catch up on replying to comments and I found a comment you left on a vaccine post from September 2016. I wonder if that was the comment you thought I had deleted? This is the link to the post and my reply. As I mentioned I would never delete a comment just because I don’t agree with it, but I thought this was worth sharing with you, just in case. Thanks again for reading!
Suz
https://maplemousemama.com/government-ontario-wants-prepare-child-backtoschool/
I’ve never even heard of HPV until this year. That in itself is a very scary thing. So glad the world is spreading awareness.
That is scary Stephanie! It makes me feel good knowing that I am helping to get the word out and it is making an impact. Thanks for taking the time to read. 🙂
Actually i have discussed this with a few parents who never ever heard of it,now that’s scary.We need so much more awareness on this topic thanks for putting it out there.
I too have been surprised by the number of people who have not heard of HPV and the vaccine. It makes me glad to be a part of the campaign to bring more awareness.
The vaccine could save your life. I totally recommended.
I totally agree!
All my girls have gotten these series of shots. Prevention, nothing wrong w/it. I’m really surprised at the amount of parents that know nothing of this.
I am constantly surprised with the number of people who don’t or won’t see the benefits of vaccines. The proof is in the pudding. While there will always be risks in life, most times the outcome is worth it.
I totally agree we need more awareness,it’s just so important
I remember asking the doctor if I could get the shot but I was informed it’s only for virgins which I was bummed about but I was also glad I had the information and could relay it to everyone I knew especially my nieces.