HPV Vaccine

my LAST HPV vaccine :)

Today I went to RSPP to get my last shot of HPV vaccine with Hasp accompanying me. Most of you probably don't know what is HPV, human papillomavirus or HPV is a papillomavirus that infects the skin and mucous membranes of humans. Approximately 130 HPV types have been identified. Some HPV types can cause warts (verrucae) or cancer, while others have no symptoms. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now there's a vaccine for HPV which is a vaccine that prevents infection with certain species of human papillomavirus associated with the development of cervical cancer, genital warts, and some less common cancers (e.g., anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile). (Source: Wikipedia)

So then why is it SO important?
This vaccine targets the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer and genital warts. The vaccine is highly effective in preventing those types of HPV and related diseases in young women.

Therefore the HPV vaccine is recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls (although it can also be given to girls 9 or 10 years of age). It is also recommended for girls and women age 13 through 26 years of age who have not yet been vaccinated or completed the vaccine series.

The vaccine is less effective in preventing HPV-related disease in young women who have already been exposed to one or more HPV types. That is because the vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or the diseases they may cause. It can only prevent HPV before a person gets it.

Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 4,000 women die from this disease in the U.S. (Source: www.cdc.gov)

Two HPV vaccines are currently on the market: Gardasil and Cervarix. Both vaccines protect against two of the HPV types that cause cervical cancer, and some other genital cancers; Gardasil also protects against two of the HPV types that cause genital warts. (Source: Wikipedia)

As you can see, my vaccine is Cervarix which is designed to prevent infection from HPV types 16 and 18, which currently cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. Type 16 is also associated with oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma, a form of throat cancer.Cervarix is also formulated with AS04, a proprietary adjuvant that has been found to boost the immune system response for a longer period of time. Additionally, some cross-reactive protection against virus strains 45 and 31 were shown in clinical trials. (Source: Wikipedia)

The vaccine is given in a series (three doses), the first shot, the second shot is given a month after the first shot and the third shot is five months after the second shot and you don't need to be screened first to get this vaccine (ga perlu tes apalah).

One shot is around Rp. 1jt, so three doses will cost you around Rp. 3jt but lucky me I got an offer of buy 2 get 1 free, so I only paid Rp. 2,2jt ;)

The shot itself isn't that painful, when the needle touches your skin you'd feel a tiny pinch but when the nurse started injecting the vaccine it HURTS for around 3 seconds and it leaves a teeny tiny bruised mark. Tangannya juga jadi pegel, you'd feel a lil temperature rise on your body and slight diarrea. Ya kurang lebih kaya anak bayi diimunisasi deh minus the rewelness :)