Elvis Presley was proud to get his polio vaccine at CBS's Studio 50 in New York City on Oct. 28, 1956. (Polio is vanquished in the U.S.) Amanda Peet is an outspoken spokeswoman for VaccinateYourBaby.com (83% of babies 19-35 months old get vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis with four plus doses of DTP, DT or DTaP). And Marcia Cross is advocating for the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine since she contracted anal cancer and her husband developed throat cancer. Unfortunately, folks aren't getting the news about HPV.
It turns out that more than 50% of parents are refusing to give their 11- and 12-year-old girls and boys the HPV vaccine (the age at which it is recommended), according to a survey of doctors published in the journal Pediatrics.
Seems folks just aren't aware of the dangers of HPV or how effective the vaccine is in preventing cancers. A new survey published in The Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that more than 80% of men 18-26 and 75% of women the same age in the U.S. don't know that HPV causes not only cervical cancer, but anal, penile, throat and oral cancers as well.
So, ask your doc about the vaccine and protect your child (or yourself) from cancer. The vaccine is for all children 11 or 12 years old. Catch-up HPV vaccination is recommended for anyone up to age 26 who hasn't been adequately vaccinated. Older? Ask your doc if you should get vaccinated if you're 27-46.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
(c)2019 Michael Roizen, M.D.,
and Mehmet Oz, M.D.