Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I hope you all got or get the HPV vaccine.
~ a cancer nurse
Most of us were told we were too old to get it when it came out. Why was that? I’m 42 and it was only offered to me recently.
Because the greatest risk for exposure to HPV was thought to be during younger years. Turns out, people are continuously exposed to HPV over their lifetime if sexually active. The FDA approved upper age limit is now 45 but you can still get it if you are older than 45. You just have to pay for it out of pocket.
There’s not a known safety issue past age 45. Just not much data about how the vaccine will help people older than 45. Many have been exposed to HPV by that point, and it takes many more years for cancer to develop after acquiring the virus. The vaccine can’t prevent cancers from prior HPV infections. As our average life expectancy increases, more people will develop HPV associated cancers.
💉