HPV (Human Papillomavirus)

The Tooele County Health Department offers the HPV Vaccine in it's immunization clinics. The HPV vaccine is given as a 3 dose series:
     - 1st Dose:   Now
     -2nd Dose:   2 months after Dose #1
     -3rd Dose:    6 months after Dose #1

HPV vaccine can prevent most cases of cervical cancer. Protection is expected to be long-lasting, however, vaccinated women still need regular cervical cancer screenings.

The vaccine is routinely recommended for girls 11-12 years of age but can be safely given to girls as young as 9. It is also recommend for girls and young women ages 13-26 who did not receive it when they were younger. Visit the websites listed below for more information:

HPV Brochure from the FDA Office of Women's Health	The Facts about HPV from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Fact Sheet on HPV from the American Social Health Association

HPV Disease Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infects the skin and mucous membranes. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of men and women. Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it. HPV is associated with several less common types of cancer in both men and women. More than 50% of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at sometime in their lives.

Persistent HPV infections are now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer. In 2007, it was estimated that 11,000 women in the United States would be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 would die from it. Cervical cancer strikes nearly half a million women each year worldwide, claiming a quarter of a million lives.

Some types of HPV are referred to as “low-risk” viruses because they rarely cause lesions that develop into cancer. HPV types that are more likely to lead to the development of cancer are referred to as “high-risk.” Both high-risk and low-risk types of HPV can cause the growth of abnormal cells, but only the high-risk types of HPV lead to cancer. High-risk HPVs include types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, and 73.. These high-risk types of HPV cause growths on the cervix that are usually flat and nearly invisible, as compared with the external warts caused by low-risk types HPV–6 and HPV–11. HPV types 16 and 18 together cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers. It is important to note, however, that the great majority of high-risk HPV infections go away on their own and do not cause cancer.

Tooele County Health Department Division of School and Family Health
151 North Main Street • Tooele Utah • 84074
(435) 277 - 2310 • Fax (435) 277-2304