Cervical cancer: educate girls on how the virus is transmitted

Like many parents I'm sure, I have struggled with the decision about my daughter being immunised against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). There are risks and benefits to all medicines and vaccines and the best we can do is try to make an informed decision.

In doing my research, I found several websites talking about the symptoms of cervical cancer, how it develops, statistics, screening and treatment. What concerns me is that there seems to be little attention paid to the circumstances in which girls put themselves at risk of cervical cancer. Very few websites stated that having unprotected sex is the main way in which the virus is passed and those that did gave it scant reference. Surely this is a vitally important message we should be sharing with girls?

The other key question I had was: does a condom prevent the transmission of the HPV? The answer is "no" but this information was hard to find.

One of the concerns raised about the HPV vaccine was that it might make girls more sexually active or make them more likely to have unprotected sex.

Our family enjoys a fairly open dialogue about teenagers engaging in sexual activity. We discuss this in the context of emotional maturity; self esteem and self respect; the different needs and desires of boys and girls; peer pressure; the risks of throwing caution to the wind in the heat of the moment; protection; the consequences of getting pregnant; and the risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) including HPV.

Education and dialogue is the only way that we can have a positive effect on girls' behaviour. As uncomfortable as it might be for parents, engaging in a conversation with girls on this major issue is essential. We need to encourage girls to make good decisions about sexual relationships – which they will engage in at some point whether parents like it or not – and hopefully they will choose for themselves to delay this as long as possible. An understanding of all the issues will help them to protect their own physical and emotional health in the short and long term.

Some useful sources of information about cervical cancer and HPV immunisation

www.bbc.co.uk/switch/surgery/advice/body_mind/girls_bodies/hpv_vaccine/
www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/HPV/HPV_and_cervical_cancer
www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/immunisation/hpv.html
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/cervical_cancer.html#7
www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=138
www.sheu.org.uk/publications/eh/eh264ag.pdf