The Vaccine That Can Keep Your Child From Getting Cancer

If you could vaccinate your kids against cancer, would you? Although the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been shown to cause cancer, many parents don’t vaccinate their children against HPV, a common infection spread by skin-to-skin contact. The reasons vary: vaccine safety; worries their child will become sexually active; unawareness of HPV’s link to cancer.

UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital pediatrician Douglas Fleck, MD, explains the link between HPV and cancer and why getting the vaccine is so important for children.