HEALTH MATTERS
3. You may have only heard of HPV as a cause of cervical cancer in women, but there are other HPV-related diseases that can affect males, as well as females. Certain types of HPV cause cervical, vaginal and vulvar pre-cancers and cancers in females and other HPV types cause genital warts and anal cancer in males and females.
4. HPV often has no visible signs or symptoms, so many people are not even aware that they have it. This means people can pass on HPV without knowing it. It may take only one sexual encounter to be infected with HPV. HPV can be transmitted through experimentation that involves genital contact of any kind - intercourse is not necessary but is the most common.
5. You may think it's too soon to worry about how HPV could affect your son or daughter, but the best time to get the facts about HPV is before they may be exposed.
As a parent you never stop looking out for your kids, and the more we learn about health risks for our children, the more we can do to help protect them as they grow up. Take action now, while you are still managing your adolescent's health care. Speak with your child's doctor for more information and be sure to ask about ways to help prevent HPV-related cancers and diseases, including vaccination.
"HPV often has no visible signs or symptoms, so many people are not even aware that they have it. This means people can pass on HPV without knowing it. "