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  • Tips to protect your family from the sun in summer

    Tips to protect your family from the sun in summer

    Tips to protect your family from the sun

    What are the tips to protect our family from the effects of the summer sun?

    With summer temperatures rising, children and teenagers are more exposed to the sun as they engage in more outdoor activities.

    This is why sun protection is the key to keeping your child safe during the summer by minimizing sun exposure and using sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF).

    It’s important to remember that your child’s skin is more vulnerable than yours to sun damage.

    If you follow these sun protection recommendations, you will help protect your child from sunburn and other skin damage:

    Use a “broad spectrum” sunscreen

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends using a broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 15.

    Broad spectrum means it protects against both UVA and UVB radiation. Even in the Florida sun, properly applied SPF 30 sunscreen is more than enough.

    Apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before sun exposure to give it time to absorb into the skin.

    Don’t forget to protect your ears, lips, feet, neck and head.

    Limit time in the sun

    It is ideal for children to stay in the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are most intense.

    Try to schedule their outdoor activities in the morning or evening to avoid the worst of the sun’s rays, and make sure they take frequent breaks, which gives them a chance to reapply sunscreen.

    Use extra protection for babies younger than 6 months

    The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends protective clothing that covers arms and legs, wide-brimmed hats and staying in the shade.

    If adequate clothing and shade are not available, use a minimal amount of sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher on small areas, such as the face and back of the hands.

    To treat sunburn in infants, use cool compresses on affected areas.

    Stay hydrated:

    If your children are playing in the water, you may not think dehydration is a problem, but it can be, especially if you’re at the beach.

    Enforce frequent hydration breaks for your children to drink water, sip water ice cream or enjoy watery fruits. Be aware that sunburn can cause dehydration.

    Dress yourself and your children in protective clothing:

    There is a wide range of swimwear on the market that has built-in UVA protection.

    Sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats are also recommended. Look for glasses that provide 97 to 100 percent protection from UVA and UVB light.

    If your child gets sunburned, here are some of the best ways to take care of the skin:

    • Know the symptoms. These vary depending on the severity of the burn: redness, hot skin, blisters, chills, fever, headache and dehydration (dry mouth, lack of urination, loss of skin elasticity).
    • Cool him or her down. Have your child soak in a cold water bath or place cold (not ice) compresses on the affected areas.
    • Insulate from the sun. Do not let your child play in direct sunlight until the burn has healed.
    • If there are blisters, do not pop them. This exposes the tissues under the skin and can lead to infection.

    Remember that your children learn from good example. Practice sun protection yourself and teach everyone in your family how to protect themselves from the sun’s rays.

    Call your health care provider for advice or visit our table https://outhous3.miferiadesalud.com/feria/#dana-desktop-en and learn about our Sun Protection van tour, where you will find more information to prevent skin cancer.

    I invite you to subscribe to the My Health Fair Newsletter list to receive your monthly dose of information and LIVE Streams from health organizations and influencers.

    www.myhealthfair.com/newsletter

  • Skin cancer: how to protect ourselves from the sun

    Skin cancer: how to protect ourselves from the sun

    Spring and summer are exciting seasons and during this time of year sun exposure increases resulting in an increased risk of skin damage, including the development of skin cancer.

    What causes skin cancer?

    Most of them are caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, which come from the sun or artificial sources of exposure such as tanning beds and sunlamps.

    These artificial sources of UV rays can damage skin cells.

    The good news?

    Most skin cancers are preventable.

    According to the American Cancer Society, this is the most common cancer in the United States, with 5.4 million basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers and more than 76,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed each year.

    Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing about 10,000 Americans each year, nearly 75% of all skin cancer deaths in the United States.

    What is skin cancer?

    It is the abnormal growth of skin cells as a result of overexposure to the sun and harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

    While the most frequent cases occur on the most exposed skin, well-covered areas of the body can also be affected.

    All pigmentations, dark and light, are subject to skin cancer.

    What common forms does skin cancer take?

    It can take many forms, but the three most common are:

    • Basal cell carcinoma,
    • Squamous cell carcinoma,
    • Melanoma.

    Beginning in the basal cells in the outer layer of the skin, basal cell carcinomas can appear as a pearly or waxy bump, as well as a flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like lesion.

    Squamous cell carcinoma: this type forms in squamous cells.

    Signs are often a firm, red nodule or a flat lesion with a scaly, crusty surface.

    Melanoma: a small fraction of skin cancers, but also the most deadly. Symptoms of melanoma include: a large brown spot with smaller darker ones or a mole that changes color, size or bleeds.

    Who is most at risk for skin cancer?

    Anyone can get this disease, but the risk is higher for those who:

    • Experience heavy UV exposure.
    • Have lighter skin.
    • Are in a family history of skin cancer.
    • Have prevalent moles.
    • Experience numerous severe sunburns in the past.
    • Have a weakened immune system.
    • Live in sunny or high-altitude climates.

    Practice sun safety

    It is important to protect yourself from UV rays year-round, not just during the summer.

    In the continental United States, UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time).

    Recommendations for protection

    • Use sunscreen, at least sun protection factor (SPF) 30, year-round.
    • Apply sunscreen every two hours or more frequently if you are swimming or sweating.
    • Stay in the shade.
    • Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs.
    • Get a hat to cover your face, head, ears and neck.
    • Wear sunglasses that cover the sides of your face and block both UVA and UVB rays.
    • Use sun protective clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50+, which blocks 98% of the sun’s rays. Wide-brimmed hats and sun-protective clothing that covers the arms and legs are helpful in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. Sunscreen does not block all UV rays that cause skin cancer.
    • Check your skin. If you notice differences, talk to your health care team.

    Enjoy as the warm days arrive, but always keep skin cancer prevention in mind.

    Any change in your natural skin color, such as tanning, burning or freckling, is dangerous to your skin and increases your risk of skin cancer.

    For this reason, it is important to contact your health care team if you have concerns about skin abnormalities.

    This disease is treatable when detected in its early stages.

    Visit our table https://outhous3.miferiadesalud.com/en/fair/#dana-desktop-eng and see the tour of our Sun Protection van, where you will find more information to prevent skin cancer.

    Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/, https://www.dana-farber.org, https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/

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  • Project Bread: effective solutions to improve Food Safety

    Project Bread: effective solutions to improve Food Safety

    Project Bread: why did it originate?

    As people struggle to obtain food, we face a landscape of uncertainty and conflict in meeting a basic need: to eat.

    This situation is known as food insecurity and conceptualizes the difficulty some people have, either temporarily or chronically, in obtaining sufficient quantities of safe and nutritious food to provide them with good health, harmony and overall well-being.

    Who are the most affected by food insecurity?

    While the increase in food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected residents of all backgrounds, the impact has been disproportionate for African American, Latino and multiracial households.

    This represents a continuation of a pre-pandemic trend, showing a slower recovery compared to white households.

    Over the past year, 29.5% of African American households with children and 26.9% of Latino households with children were food insecure, compared to 12.1% of White households with children.

    What does Project Bread do?

    Makes it easier for people to access and afford food with dignity: money for groceries, healthy meals for kids in their schools and throughout the summer.

    An expert helps a child or teen explore their options for making ends meet, connecting people and communities in Massachusetts with reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more affordable, so no one goes hungry.

    Summer Eats Program

    With the support of the Child Nutrition Outreach Program and Project Bread’s Summer Eats program, healthy summer meals and snacks are provided to children and teens (under 18) in Massachusetts.

    It also offers programming days with activities for all ages, in different locations and without the need to register or identify oneself, allowing the integration of all communities.

    Summer Eats delivered nearly 7,540,077 free meals in the summer of 2021, helping hundreds of families trying to make ends meet.

    In doing so, we have successfully adapted our services and expanded our reach to new districts and organizations, sharing best practices to feed children and teens even more effectively.

    What are the terms and conditions of the Summer Eats program?

    • All Massachusetts children, ages 0-18, can receive free meals at any of the Summer Eats sites listed on the map.
    • No registration is required, interested parties can go to the nearest location and receive a free meal, no one will ask for identification and no questions will be asked. For locations, visit the Project Bread website.
    • The site does not need to be in the city where you live. The sites on the map are updated frequently, you can check the map to see what sites are available near you.
    • Identification will not be required for a child or teen to receive free meals through Summer Eats at any of the sites listed on the map.
    • Some sites include programming or activities for their participants in addition to providing free meals, please check with us for more information about activities at a particular site or contact or reach out to the organization or school district that operates the site you would like to attend.
    • The exact meals served vary by site and are usually prepared by the sponsoring community organization. There may be a combination of breakfast, lunch, snack and/or dinner.
    • All meals served through Summer Eats must meet nutrition standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, are provided with each meal. 
    • Picking up meals and taking them home is not permitted, children and teens must attend meal sites in person during established meal times, and must eat on site.

    For more information, ask us!

    Contact us at our FoodSource Helpline 1-800-645-8333, where we’ll provide free expert assistance to help you understand and access reliable food resources and federal nutrition programs.

    You can also find out if you qualify for SNAP and help you apply, and where to find free meals for kids and local food programs. let’s chat!

    Sources: Project Bread Annual Report 2021

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  • Mental Health: Do I Need the Approval of the People I Love to Get Help?

    Mental Health: Do I Need the Approval of the People I Love to Get Help?

    By seeking continuous recognition, we seek immunity from pain and avoid disappointing those who are important to us.

    However, disapproval cannot be avoided no matter how hard we try; it is for this reason that it is necessary to learn to deal with criticism in a positive way.

    The need to be recognized by others is a problem when it comes to being satisfied with oneself and can significantly affect assertiveness in our own decisions, especially when it comes to our mental health.

    It is easy to feel alone when you are worried about your mental health. No one seems to understand what you are going through.

    You may not even understand it yourself, the important thing is to understand that there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who have suffered from some illness or have difficulties with their mental health.

    If you are going through a situation that affects your mental health and you find that some people in your circle don’t understand, think that it’s not your job to convince them and just keep trying to find a support system that works for you:

    Friends and Family

    If you already have supportive friends and family, opening up to them can be a good starting point as well as a great relief since you don’t have to hide how you feel.

    You can also open up to coaches, teachers or religious leaders, anyone close to your personal life, with whom you don’t feel judged.

    Professionals

    Professionals you can talk to about your mental health include doctors, therapists or coaches. Any well-conducted therapeutic process will bring benefits to the patient’s mental health, learning to change their thoughts or behaviors, feeling better mentally and physically and noticing an improvement in their symptoms in a short period of time.

    Support Groups

    In general, support groups are made up of people who have experienced similar situations. Today you can do this in person or virtually. In these groups, conversations about daily life flow, struggles are shared and the strategies they have used to move forward and thrive are presented. With this option, many people are able to improve their condition as they feel they belong to a community with people who are going through the same circumstances.

    Anonymous helplines

    Many organizations, private and public institutions, have hotlines, usually staffed by volunteers or employees who are trained to listen. Talking to an outsider can help you feel more confident about what you are sharing, and they can offer more objective feedback than the people involved in our lives.

    What do I say?

    If you are not sure what to say, try writing down your thoughts first. This may help you clarify your words. Try using a helpline or support group as “practice” for opening up to friends, family or professionals you might feel less intimidated talking to.

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  • Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

    Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

    Have you ever thought about what questions you would have to ask a potential therapist or professional psychologist?

    Therapy to improve our mental health is a professional procedure to help people facing difficult moments in their lives.

    When the process is done well, patients can experience renewed feelings that benefit them personally and socially.

    However, to achieve the success of the therapies it is necessary the active participation of the patient, for which he/she should be prepared with some questions for his/her therapist that will allow him/her to have an understanding of the panorama.

    Recommendations of what questions to ask your therapist

    1. What methodology does he/she use?

    For example, if the process that the therapist will use is based on the emotional interpretation that one makes of each situation, of our reactions and emotions or if, on the contrary, he/she looks for the origin of our problems in the past. This differentiation will allow you to focus on the sessions.

    2. Will it work?

    No therapist can assure us that the process will work; however, asking this question will allow you to know which method he/she will use.

    But something vital for the therapy to work: the “feeling” is fundamental and the person we have in front of us must give us credibility and confidence in the emotions that he/she transmits.

    3. Price?

    This is a service that may seem expensive, but betting on something low-cost is not the best recommendation in mental health issues, and in such sensitive issues it is better not to risk.

    4. How do I know the therapy is working?

    Ask if you have tools that allow you to measure your evolution and check if the therapy is being positive.

    In general, experienced therapists mention them beforehand, and in this way we can confirm that this person wants to do a therapy that works and can solve your problems.

    5. Can I relapse after therapy?

    It is always a risk, but if the therapist has done a good job, in a few sessions you can get back on track if you relapse.

    Your therapist should be clear about how he or she is going to work on your problems and give you the tools so that you can find your own way and improve if it happens to you again.

    In the end, all the questions are directed to the same thing: to see that the person you have in front of you is a professional and that within the many techniques he/she has some fixed tools and knows how to use them.

    In short, that you like their methods and that they give you a good impression, so you will trust them enough to open up and improve your mental health.

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  • Steps to start a Therapy Process

    Steps to start a Therapy Process

    The therapy process brings together a series of sessions to give the person who is experiencing some difficulty with their mental health a better understanding of what they are doing, feeling and thinking.

    A therapist facilitates the expansion of your state of consciousness through which you recognize how you are part of the situation you are suffering from and how to do something to address it.

    The therapy process will help you recognize and understand:

    • The way you handle the situation
    • The way you get along with others.
    • What is the meaning you associate with something?
    • How do you respond to situations or people?
    • How does your lifestyle affect others?
    • What do you do to resist your happiness?
    • How does the world and people affect how you feel and how you live?

    That is why it is important to consider the therapy process as a treatment for a variety of mental health problems.

    What are the steps that take place in a therapy process?

    Becoming aware in the therapy process:

    You have a head start because you have become aware that something in you needs attention and management.

    The therapist’s job is to accompany you so that you can bring out all that is there and you can open up and become aware of it.

    It is awareness that will play a leading role at different times in your treatment process, not just at the beginning.

    Forgetting:

    This step becomes evident when you know yourself.

    At this stage, it is time to make a decision, it is about choosing what does us good and what serves to empower us, and discarding what limits, hurts or exhausts us.

    Learning from the therapy process:

    There are several factors here, information, understanding, updates, tools and resources to manage different aspects of your life.

    Information is introducing new concepts, new ways of understanding, which will lead you to new ways of doing things.

    This step will allow us to introduce simple and practical changes gradually to connect with ourselves in healthier ways, giving way to the release of old patterns that can limit us. In this phase we begin to feel a new energy, already having a clearer mind.

    Return to feeling:

    As the process progresses, many things begin to feel familiar, it is about reconnecting with what you knew before therapy and what you have learned and healed during the process.

    Being:

    When we answer the question “who are you?” it is not just a psychological reaction, but an expression of what we really feel, and what we have individually come to in order to reconnect with the essence and feel relieved. It is a state of wholeness, peace, love and compassion.

    The treatment process is long term and the effect is gradual, for this reason people who take this step must be patient and trust the guidance of their therapist.

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  • Mental Health Awareness Month, Why Is It Important?

    Mental Health Awareness Month, Why Is It Important?

    Mental health awareness month is here and it is essential to highlight how important it is for the development of every human being and for society.

    Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental illness. During May, My Health Fair joins the national movement to bring relevance to this issue for Mental Health Awareness Month.

    Many organizations fight against stigma by providing support, educating the public and advocating for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

    Why Is It Important to Understand Mental Health?

    It seems logical, but mental health is relevant to almost every aspect of life, influencing all of our interactions with peers, loved ones and even strangers.

    Mental health is also related to our physical health, helping us to maintain certain normal functions, our immune system and energy levels, as well as affecting other aspects, such as behavior, decision-making and interpersonal skills.

    Mental health can determine how we handle stress and cope with certain difficulties; however, neglecting it is commonplace in all societies.

    Although mental health is not a new concept, it has only recently come to the forefront. As defined by MentalHealth.gov: mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feel and act.

    It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make decisions and when not handled properly, can lead to problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse problems and more.

    Reasons to take care of your mental health

    During Mental Health Awareness Month, we highlight countless reasons why one should consider taking regular mental health care that can help a person define a more fulfilling life in areas such as productivity, promoting self-love, and relationships with self and others:

    1. Emotional

    If a person enjoys good mental health, he/she is surely much better equipped to face some of the challenges that life presents to him/her.

    Change happens constantly and it is impossible to prevent it, so having a stable mental health means you can be flexible and take the situations that come your way in a positive way.

    2. Creating connections

    One of the realities of mental health is the stigmas that surround it. By understanding why mental health is important, we can better recognize the signs and symptoms, which is why creating safe environments for these discussions is of utmost importance.

    It is imperative to create spaces where it is promoted, where it is normalized to go to a therapist and where society is educated on these issues.

    3. Healthy Relationships

    Whether you are talking about a close friend, family member or significant other, how you feel can directly affect your relationship with them.

    Symptoms of anxiety and depression include short temper and hostility, which can put a strain on personal or professional relationships.

    4. Caring for others:

    Talking about your mental health may allow you to better understand the needs of your loved ones.

    Positive mental health also helps us to be more empathetic to external situations. Removing the stigma associated with mental illness is an important step.

    5. Promote a strong immune system:

    Believe it or not, our mental health can have an impact on our bodies.

    Countless research shows that being in positive and pleasant environments can help keep our immune system strong.

    6. Sleeping well

    Sleep is vital to our overall health; it is well known that lack of sleep is linked to a number of chronic diseases, including depression.

    Good mental health facilitates rest habits and improved sleep patterns.

    7. Tools for life:

    Taking care of your mental health can help you overcome the difficulties experienced in everyday life, given the correlation with managing emotions, good mental health can mean that we are better equipped to handle negative emotions and take on some of life’s challenges.

    8. Decision making:

    Mental health is directly connected to the ability to make good decisions.

    We are assertive to the extent that we encourage positive behavior, otherwise involuntarily with highly complicated and hostile environments, we are more likely to make decisions in a negative way.

    9. Mental illness:

    Mental health and mental illness are not the same thing, but they are not mutually exclusive.

    Although poor mental health does not define a disease, poor mental health is associated with emotional disturbances and psychosocial impairment, comparable to that of a depressive episode. The effects of poor mental health can be severe and prevalent, being more common than depression.

    10. Substance abuse prevention:

    Poor mental health and addictions can be closely related to substance abuse problems. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to help them deal with the symptoms of their illnesses.

    That is why it is so important to be aware of mental health and be willing to talk openly about mental illness and support yourself in treatment programs through mental health therapy and drug addiction treatment.

    In general, when it comes to wellness, it is vital to understand that mental health must be managed in a transparent and above all healthy way.

    Activities such as exercise, meditation, diet, social activities and above all seeking guidance from specialized professionals can help you work on and improve your mental health.

    Throughout the month, we will share recommendations from professionals with expertise in mental health issues.

    At myhealthfair.com our goal is to raise awareness about mental illness, presenting the solutions available to our partners, so that people understand the importance of prioritizing their mental health.

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  • Who is behind My Health Fair

    Who is behind My Health Fair

    Before My Health Fair

    Since Romina and her family originally from Central America arrived as an immigrant to the United States in the 1980s, Romina Wilmot has been aware of the needs of the Latino community in the city of Boston and in general in the state of Massachusetts. 

    At the age of 11, Romina found herself in a new country with different customs and another language, where she progressively began to study, first at the Boston Public Schools and then in College where she obtained a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Communications and Management.

    With the conviction of being an agent of change, Romina has volunteered in organizations with high impact in the Latino community in the Boston area such as YWCA Boston, Joslin Diabetes Center and Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA).

    Work Experience

    With a career forged in Fortune 500 companies in the area of marketing and advertising, Romina has led healthcare business development projects and the implementation of national and local marketing strategies.

    Also, Romina has stood out for her professionalism and dedication in creating awareness and inclusion, conveying the services, programs, coverage benefits and social services of medical care for immigrant communities in general and especially for older people in the multicultural community of Massachusetts. 

    Romina has a cutting-edge understanding of the healthcare ecosystem. She has developed multi-sponsored events, created educational programs in the community and for specific patient populations.

    Her colleagues recognize her as a hard-working professional woman, always willing to help and offer support, a leader, organized, pragmatic, with initiative and with an approach aimed at improving the quality of life and health of the Latino community.

    How My Health Fair was created

    With the purpose of contributing to the community, in 2020 when we were unaware of the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, Romina materialized a project she had in mind for a while and launched My Health Fair.

    It’s a virtual on-demand 24/7 health fair, with the objective of connecting English and Spanish-speaking audiences with health care organizations so that they are informed of the services and resources available through a virtual health fair, fulfilling the mission of overcoming language barriers and low literacy in health services in underserved and hard-to-reach populations.

    Today My Health Fair is projected as an inclusive information source, which serves as a meeting point between the community and healthcare providers and organizations, increasing visibility and growth with an impact on health outcomes and literacy with those who currently lack knowledge and resources.

    Subscribe to My Health Fair Newsletter to receive your dose of information and LIVE Streams from healthcare organizations and influencers, every month.

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  • Human Papillomavirus: Everything You Need to Know

    Human Papillomavirus: Everything You Need to Know

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States.

    According to the CDC there are currently more than 42 million Americans infected with some form of HPV and about 13 million Americans, including teenagers, are infected each year.

    Some of the figures provided by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are:

    • Public ignorance about the human papillomavirus is high.
    • It has been shown that there are high levels of HPV infection among women, with the highest levels among young women.
    • A recent study among college students indicated that an average of 14% become infected with genital HPV each year. Current infection levels in men of the same age are very similar.
    • According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 70% of American adults over the age of 18 have never heard of HPV.
    • In addition, 89% have never discussed the issue with their healthcare provider.
    • At least 75% of the population of reproductive age has been exposed to sexually transmitted HPV.
    • An estimated 15% of Americans ages 15 to 49 are infected.
    • Risk factors for infection include multiple lifelong sexual partners, a history of infection with other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early age at first sexual intercourse, a weakened immune system, and the presence of HIV.

    Who is affected by the Human Papillomavirus?

    The human papillomavirus is usually transmitted by direct contact during sexual intercourse with someone who has the infection.

    Despite their potential severity, the health consequences of HPV (and other STIs) are usually hidden and can occur years after infection. Therefore, many people do not know that they are infected or that they can transmit the virus to other people.

    According to (CDC), in its most recent study published in December 2021, 46,143 new cases of cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are detected annually, including 25,719 among women and 20,424 among men.

    Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-associated cancer among women, and oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) are the most common among men.

    Other shocking statistics related to these diseases are:

    • Vietnamese women have the highest incidence of invasive cervical cancer in the United States.
    • Cervical cancer, which is associated with HPV infection, is now the ninth most common cancer among women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
    • In general, women have a higher incidence than men except at the oropharynx site.
    • White men and women have the highest incidence rates and Asian/Pacific Islander men and women have the lowest incidence rates compared to other racial groups.
    • Within the group of Hispanics, men are less likely to contract this type of disease: 6.9%, while women have a percentage just lower than the groups of whites and non-Hispanics but similar to those of the African American racial group.

    Prevent cancer with the human papillomavirus vaccine

    Many public health experts believe that a more targeted research and public health effort would have a greater impact.

    This response involves encouraging greater sex education in schools and by health professionals regarding HPV and other STIs.

    Also promote more regular Pap tests and use HPV DNA tests.

    Scientists and health organizations worldwide measure the HPV vaccine with its safety and efficacy.

    Recommending that all children receive two doses of HPV vaccine between 9 and 12 years of age.

    Evidence on vaccine efficacy shows that infections with HPV, cervical precancers , have decreased by 88% among adolescent girls and 81% among young adult women.

    The percentage of cervical precancers caused by HPV types has decreased by 40% since the vaccine is being used in the United States.

    It is estimated that the HPV vaccine can prevent the development of more than 33,000 cases of these cancers.

    Preventing cancer is better than treating it

    Getting the HPV vaccine for your child now is better than treating an HPV cancer later in life.

    Take advantage of any visit to the doctor so that the child receives the recommended doses, in addition to preventing this and other diseases by performing the annual sports medical and physical examinations.

    The HPV vaccine provides safe, effective, and long-lasting protection.

    With more than 135 million doses distributed in the United States, the HPV vaccine has a safety record backed by more than 15 years of monitoring and research.

    Where can I get more information?

    Our Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/, https://www.prb.org/, https://www.cancer.org/