Vaccine against STDs available at Malmstrom Immunization Clinic

  • Published
  • By 341st Medical Group
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  If you could limit your chance of getting or spreading genital warts by getting a shot, would you do it? What if this shot would also protect you from genital cancers as well? This vaccine has been available for years, but unless your parents were proactive in making sure you had all available vaccines, even those not required for school or sport participation, you may not have gotten this vaccine.

Genital Human Papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. It can cause genital warts and anal cancer in men and women. It can also cause cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world. In the U.S., about 10,000 women get cervical cancer each year, and about 4,000 are expected to die from it.

The first vaccine against HPV was available in 2006 with an indication for girls ages 11 to 13, but could be given to girls as young as 9 years old. It is also now available for males ages 9 through 26. But you still may not have gotten this life saving vaccine. It is not required by any school district in the United States, and it is not yet required for military service. So when you came into the military and handed over your shot record, if the HPV vaccine was not listed on the record, you would not have been given it in the shot line.

It may not be too late. If you are 26 years old or younger, male or female, you can still get the vaccine simply by stopping by the Immunization Clinic at Malmstrom. The vaccine works best if it is given before a person has been exposed to the virus (that is, usually prior to sexual contact), which is why it is recommended for girls and boys starting at age 9. However, males and females can still get it up through age 26. According to the Centers for Disease Control, you can still get the vaccine, even if you have had a history of an abnormal Pap or a case of genital warts. The protection might not be as good if these conditions did not exist, but since there are many different strains of HPV (more than 100), the vaccine can still protect you from strains that have not yet infected you.

The HPV vaccine is a series of three shots. If you turn 27 in the middle of the series, the clinic will continue to give you the shots until you have gotten all three. However, if you are over 27, you will need to speak with your health care provider (either PCM or Women's Health provider) about your risk factors for HPV and whether you would be a candidate for the vaccine. The Immunization Clinic cannot give the vaccine to anyone who is not in the proper window for the vaccine (between the ages of 9--26 in males and females).

Three shots can save you from a painful sexually transmitted disease, save your partner from developing it, and possibly save yourself or your partner from a dangerous cancer.

So what are you waiting for? Come to the 341st Medical Group Immunization Clinic to start the series or call the Immunization clinic at 731-4455 for more information.