Free «Why Parents Should Vaccinate Their Children with HPV Vaccine» Essay Paper

Besides tragic accidents and old age, diseases are the major cause of deaths. Most of the diseases are curable but a great number of them are best prevented as their treatment is yet to surface. Majority of the non-curable diseases are virally transmitted. Among the most common is HPV. HPV, also known as the silent infection, stands for human papillomavirus. Most commonly, this infection is transmitted via sexual intercourse, however, there are cases when the disease was encountered in newborns. There are over forty types of HPV known today. Study shows that over fifty percent of sexually active individuals are likely to acquire this infection in the course of their lives. Unfortunately, little is known about this virus with many parents and the government avoiding it as it is sexually based. ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is a common slogan that turns out to be true in every sense of the word. Vaccination against this virus is a major step in preventing incidences of infection. HPV vaccine is normally given to children through injection, although the use of nasal spray is also becoming popular. Currently, only two types of HPV vaccines are in the market: Gardasil and Cervarix, which protect against HPV-16 and HPV-18. It is important that parents vaccinate their children with the HPV vaccine to prevent future occurrences of cervical cancer and genital warts among other infections which become incurable with advancement of age.

 

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Parents should vaccinate their children with HPV vaccine to protect them from cancer and genital warts in future (Krishnan). Human papillomavirus, being the most common sexually transmitted genital infection, increases cases of deaths caused by cervical, vulvar, anal, vaginal, or penile cancers and various genital diseases. A new study by the Centre for Disease Control revealed that seventy percent of cervical cancer in women is a result of the HPV virus. Moreover, ninety percent of cases of genital warts in men are also as a result of HPV (Muhammad). This research is as alarming as it is of urgency to address. Failure to address it increases the number of people suffering from these incurable effects of HPV. Parents should make it compulsory for their children to be given this vaccine in order to reduce their chances of contracting such illnesses.

Parents should vaccinate their children against genital HPV infection in order to save themselves and their children from all the horrible consequences of developed HPV. Contraction of HPV goes unnoticeable in its initial stages and stays the same for a long period of time. If the child is not vaccinated, it progresses to more advanced stages with time until it becomes completely incurable. When it is finally developed, it is often in a form of cervical cancer or multiple painful lesions associated with genital warts. In the long run, treatment of this disease is very costly. In case of cancer, diagnosing and the treatment itself are very expensive as it requires Pap smear screening, a test that is used to detect cancerous processes in reproductive system of women, and various types of treatment, including chemotherapy, if the result is positive. However, if parents vaccinate their children against HPV, they save themselves from having to meet such considerable expenses. Most importantly, parents will save their children from all the pain and suffering associated with cancer and other sexually transmitted diseases. These pains can either be physical or emotional. Undergoing chemotherapy exposes children to harmful radiations which have negative effects on the child’s health. Besides, chemotherapy causes loss of hair which results in shunning and rejection by peers. This is a cause of emotional pain and multiple psychological problems as the child feels unwanted and unloved. It is thus very important that parents vaccinate their children against HPV.

Parents should provide their children with the HPV vaccine since sexual activity among young people is becoming increasingly popular.  Children between the ages of eleven and twenty six run the risk of contracting one of the many types of HPV (Wallis). Gone are the days when sexual intercourse was a reserve for the married. Let’s face it, children as young as twelve are said to be engaging in sexual activities. This is mainly because parents shy from their responsibilities of educating their children on the dangers of early intercourse. This role has been left to the Internet, media, peers, and sex educators. Worse still, modern movies and secular music that is currently circulating in the market are said to praise early sexual behaviors. As children grow, parents have less control over them, especially when they go away for studies. Out there, due to peer influence, children are introduced to these behaviors, thus exposing themselves to the risk of HPV. The use of condoms is highly discouraged among these peers, thus propagating chances of contraction. Worse still, cases of rape are becoming very rampant. Most of them happen without any protection and the most common victims happen to be children as they are physically weak, naïve, and vulnerable. In case of the attacker being infected with the HPV, children are prone to these infections too. For these reasons, parents should vaccinate their children with the HPV vaccine as a way of indirectly protecting them from contracting sexually transmitted infections.

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By vaccinating their children with HPV vaccine, parents increase public awareness on the harmful effects of not carrying out the vaccination (Wailoo). HPV is commonly known as the silent infection as it is hardly recognized in its early stages. It becomes a bother once genital warts begin appearing. Little is known about it as no one is willing to talk about it with politics having a major contribution to its unpopularity. The government is reluctant to publicize this issue as it concerns a sexually transmitted infection and not so many cases of it are reported following noticed symptoms. The responsibility is hence left to the parents. With parents vaccinating their children, they make the vaccine common to the masses that are unaware of it. This way, the number of cases of this infection will be noticeably reduced, avoiding having to bear enormous expenses in case no vaccination was carried out.

Finally, vaccination of children with HPV vaccine by their parents is a display of love and concern for them. Parents are getting busier by the day. They no longer find time to sit and talk about current affairs affecting the youth. The relationship between parents and their children is fast getting eroded. Most guardians even find it wiser to send their children away for their studies. While being on their own, children engage in various activities unknown to parents, what increases the chances of contracting HPV. Amidst all this haste for the dollar, vaccinating their children against HPV is a first step in ensuring their children are well protected from a number of diseases. Of course, educating them on HPV comes in handy too. Vaccination with due education on the topic assures them that their children are somewhat protected and the risk is highly reduced. Thus, it is an outward display of concern for the welfare of their children.

HPV vaccination is very important since it prevents cases of HPV prevalence. By parents vaccinating their children against it, they help to reduce possible effects of contracting infections that are related to the human papillomavirus. Parents save on the cost of treating these infections in their advanced stages besides relieving their children of the pain they would possibly have to undergo. Moreover, parents help to kill the ignorance associated with HPV. The government should also stop hiding their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich. They should raise public awareness about the advantages of vaccination against HPV. This will, in effect, help to protect children from the harsh realities of the number of cancers related to HPV and humiliating effects of genital warts. HPV is a reality, and an urgent one for that matter. It should therefore be treated with the urgency it deserves. Parents should vaccinate their children with HPV vaccine. After all, the advantages of being safe far surpass the cost of treatment.