 | By Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editorial Director | | | Good afternoon! You get a break from COVID news today. But here's another email about how great vaccines are. | | | Today's Top Story | | The HPV Vaccine Really, Really Works |  | The United Kingdom seems well on its way to eliminating cervical cancer because of one major innovation: the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
HPV is a group of over 200 viruses, about 40 of which can be transmitted sexually. The most prevalent symptom—if you experience symptoms at all—is warts, and the condition can resolve on its own. Some strains are linked to cancer, but they're preventable by vaccination.
A new study shows that, among U.K. women ages 20 to 64, rates of cervical cancer were 87% lower in women who got the HPV vaccine when they were preteens compared to those who didn't. The study monitored cervical cancer diagnoses in the U.K from 2006 to 2019. The earlier a woman received an HPV shot, the lower her risk of developing cervical cancer.
The U.K. introduced the vaccine in 2008, two years after the FDA approved its use in the United States. But the U.S. is not even close to curbing cervical cancer rates, largely because Americans are so wrapped up in HPV being a sexually transmitted infection. Many parents and advocacy groups would rather focus their efforts on preventing teenagers from having sex at all than get them vaccinated, according to STAT News. | | Know More | | No, getting the HPV vaccine as an adolescent does not make you more sexually promiscuous. Research has debunked the notion that getting the HPV vaccine is associated with an earlier age of having sex. Plus, it is possible to contract HPV without ever having sex at all—skin-to-skin contact can do the trick. | | Feel Better | | In the U.S., the CDC recommends that all preteens between the ages of 11 and 12—girls and boys—get an HPV vaccine. The vaccine regimen for this age group consists of two doses spaced six to 12 months apart. If you don't start the vaccine series until age 15 or later, or if you're immunocompromised, you may require three doses. If you're well past these ages and didn't complete your regimen, you don't need to start over; a healthcare provider can pick up where you left off. | | |  | | In the U.S., cervical cancer is most common between the ages of 35 and 65. It is rarely seen in people under the age of 20. |  |  | | Global Climate Summit Falls Short | | On Saturday, representatives from nearly 200 countries essentially agreed to try again next year when it comes to presenting stronger plans to cut back on carbon emissions. The problems with the two-week climate change summit, referred to as COP26, began well before China and India backtracked on phasing out coal. During the first day, Israel's Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy, was unable to enter the event space in her wheelchair-accessible vehicle. As Verywell's Rachel Charlton-Dailey explains, this type of inadvertent ableism is nothing new in the world of climate activism. | | | | Vitamin K Can Help Protect Your Heart | | A study of over 53,000 participants shows that vitamin K intake is linked to lower rates of hospitalization for heart disease and stroke. But where do you even get vitamin K? There are two different kinds: vitamin K1, which is found in leafy green foods, and vitamin K2, which is found in fermented foods, including certain hard cheeses. The good news: Both types offer a protective effect. | | | | | | | |  | | Verywell's Chief Medical Officer, Jessica Shepherd, MD, sees plenty of vaccine hesitancy in her OB practice. She says the HPV vaccine can be a big point of uncertainty for parents, but ultimately, there should be no question about protecting their kids from cancer. |  | | Parents may worry that if their daughter gets an HPV vaccine, will she start having sex too soon? I tell them it's a good question, but within their own families, there should be a difference between how they're going to talk about values in relation to intimacy and sex versus how they're going to actively protect their kids against STIs. It's really two different conversations. | |  |  | Jessica Shepherd, MD,
Board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist
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