Cancer Prevention Starts in Childhood

“I gave HPV vaccine to both my sons when they turned 11,” says pediatrician Dr. Jose Rodriguez in this video.

You can lower your children’s risk of getting cancer later in life by getting them vaccinated against HPV and helping them make healthy choices.

Get Your Kids Vaccinated Against HPV

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex. It can cause cervical and other kinds of cancer. Some cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) are caused by HPV.

The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cancer. Both boys and girls should be vaccinated when they are 11 or 12 years old. The vaccine can be given to teen girls and young women through 26 years and teen boys and young men through 21 years who weren’t vaccinated when they were younger.