Since the creation of the vaccine for the Human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it has been the subject of a great deal of controversy. Namely, parents and politicians have been divided over whether it is appropriate to give an STD vaccine to individuals as young as 11, citing that it could potentially be seen as encouraging teen sex. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study to determine if youth sex rates have been affected by the vaccine, in order to offer some scientific input into this debate.
The study, which will appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, found that young women who were given the vaccine were no more likely to engage in risky sexual activity than those who remained unvaccinated. Live Science reports that few public health officials were surprised by the finding, and that this goes along with past research that did not find young women more inclined to have sex after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine.
“The CDC study is based on a survey of 1,243 young women ages 15 to 24, interviewed as part of the National Survey of Family Growth. The researchers found that those who received the HPV vaccine were no more likely to have begun having sex before age 15 or to have had more sexual partners compared with those who didn’t get the vaccine,” according to Live Science.
Furthermore, the study found that sexually active young women who received the vaccine were more likely to engage in safer sex practices, such as using a condom. This suggests that this population is receiving more education regarding sexual health matters.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are over 100 different strains of HPV. While most are harmless, about 30 types increase a person’s risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, such as that of the cervix.
Tags: CDC, HPV, sex, sexting, STD, STI, teens, vaccine
