Changes in the vaccination schedule for children are causing confusion nationwide.
New vaccine recommendations issued in recent months by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the direction of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamous anti-vaccine-suggest fewer shots for most children. The updated guidelines also changed when some vaccines should be given.
Many of these policies are not based on science, and major medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have urged parents and doctors to continue to vaccinate their children according to previous guidelinesin an unusual break with the CDC.
But one change is actually based on valid research: The suggestion that people may only need one shot of the HPV vaccine.
I am an avid proponent of vaccines (thank you to science for protecting us from diseases that killed our ancestors) and a sex educator who has written about the HPV vaccine for decades. But I know many parents – like the one I recently sat next to in the pediatrician’s waiting room – said she wasn’t anti-vax, but skipped it That shot – just don’t know enough about HPV to make an informed decision.
This column answers some common questions you may have about the HPV vaccine, whether you’re a parent considering the vaccination for your children or an adult wondering if it’s too late to get it yourself.
Together we make reproductive justice visible.
Newsgroup rewiring is a reader-supported, independent, nonprofit newsroom. Membership ensures that this report remains accessible to everyone.
What is HPV?
There There are more than 200 types of HPVor human papillomavirus. The virus is easily transmitted from skin to skin. Some types cause the warts that you can get on your hands or feet.
Other types of HPV are known to infect the sensitive, wetter skin (or mucous membranes) in our genitals, anus, and throat. This about 40 types of HPV are sexually transmitted. HPV is so contagious that most sexually active people will get it at some point in their lives.
Is HPV dangerous?
Usually not. In most cases our immune systems clear the virus without ever knowing we had it.
But some people develop persistent infections that the body cannot overcome. There are 12 “high risk” types. of the virus. Persistent infections with these types can lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus or throat.
What is the HPV vaccine?
The HPV vaccine was first introduced in 2006. The version currently available in the United States is Gardasil 9 protects against nine high-risk types of the virusincluding the two that cause most cases of genital warts and the two that cause most cases of cervical cancer.
Twenty years of research shows that Gardasil works to prevent not only HPV infection, but also changes in the cervical cells that can cause cancer. Scientists believe that vaccination is widespread 90 percent can be prevented of HPV-related cancers.
Who should get the HPV vaccine?
Almost everyone.
Major medical organizations and health centers such as advises the Cleveland Clinic that all young people – regardless of sex or gender – receive the HPV injection at age 11 or 12, although they can get it as early as age 9. The goal is to vaccinate everyone before they become sexually active.
The vaccine is recommended for anyone 26 or younger who was not vaccinated as a teenager and approved until age 45. Unvaccinated people between the ages of 27 and 45 should ask their healthcare provider.
How many HPV shots do I need?
When Gardasil was first introduced, everyone was advised to take three injections a few months apart. Than research suggested two doses were probably enough, especially for young teenagers.
In his new recommendationsthe CDC suggests that everyone should now get just one chance. This change is based on Research from December 2025 from the National Institutes of Health who found that one shot provides as much protection as two.
Some doctors remain skeptical of these new federal guidelines, as they were released alongside other major changes in vaccine recommendations that were based on flawed science. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Cancer Societyfor example, still recommend more shots. As always, ask your healthcare provider what is best for you.
If I have been vaccinated against HPV, do I still need to be screened for cervical cancer?
Yes. Anyone who has a cervix must be screened every three to five years, from age 21 or 25 (guidelines vary).
Depending on your age and medical history, your screening may include a Pap smear or an HPV test. Both tests use a brush or small spatula to collect cells on or near the cervix. The HPV test looks for high-risk types of the virus. The Pap smear looks for precancerous changes in the cells of the cervix, called ‘dysplasia’, which can be treated before they become cancerous.
These tests are usually performed by a healthcare provider, but the The FDA recently approved HPV test kits that allow you to collect your own sample. The samples are then sent to a laboratory for analysis. If that test is positive, you should contact a healthcare provider.
I’m not your mother, but if I…
When my daughters got their HPV shots, I posted photos of each of them online, despite the fact that they were only wearing paper dresses.
They weren’t on social media yet — both got their vaccinations at the CDC-recommended age of 11 — so I could get away with it, and I was just so excited. I know how easily HPV spreads. I know it causes cancer. A vaccine that can prevent my children from getting cancer felt like something to celebrate.
I realize it Not all parents think this way. Some may have found themselves in the growing anti-vax movement that uses junk science to portray all vaccines as more dangerous than useful. Others may believe the misconception that vaccinating young people against a sexually transmitted infection will encourage them to have more sex. (Spoiler alert: tons Research shows that this does not happen.)
Since its launch, the HPV vaccine has been caught in a perfect storm of anti-vaccination and anti-sex politics. In 2011, Republican presidential candidates even exchanged ideas about it during a debate.
By the time my oldest got the vaccine in 2017, health care providers and sex educators like me had learned some important lessons about HPV messaging for parents: Talk more about cancer and less about sex.
For example, my pediatrician simply told me that my child was eligible for the “cervical cancer shot.” It was clear that he didn’t need to convince me. But I hope the C-word is enough to convince other parents that their kids need the HPV shot — and maybe you, too.
#HPV #vaccine #explained