THE SUN MEMBER NEWSLETTER WELLNESS CORNER Health Education During Wellness Checkups HPV Vaccine Awareness HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common virus that can lead to six types of cancers later in life. You can protect your child from ever developing these cancers by having them get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12. Age-appropriate Health Education/Anticipatory Guidance is one of the important components of your child’s wellness checkup. Your child’s doctor will provide health education specifc to your child’s age, which includes information about the benefts of healthy lifestyles and practices that prevent injury and disease. It also gives you a chance to ask questions and discuss any issues or concerns you might have regarding your child’s overall health and development. Please take a list of questions to ask your child’s doctor at their next appointment. • HPV infections are common. • HPV infections are so common that nearly all men and women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with some type of HPV. About 14 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year. • HPV is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the virus. • Some HPV infections can lead to cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/ about-hpv.html?CDC_AA_ refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc. gov%2Fhpv%2Fparents%2Fwhatishpv. html ■ 9
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