GARDASIL®9 for your Children
By giving your consent now to have your children vaccinated with GARDASIL®9, you can help protect them against certain HPV-related cancers and diseases in the future.
HPV prevention in children
FACT:
An estimated 75% of sexually active Canadians will have at least one HPV infection in their lifetime.
FACT:
HPV causes several cancers and diseases, including almost 100% of cervical cancer cases.
FACT:
It is estimated that every 15 minutes, one Canadian develops genital warts.
FACT:
Condoms may not be enough to protect against HPV – they only protect the area they cover.
FACT:In 2020, it was estimated that the rate of oropharyngeal cancer was ~4x higher in males than females.
Give your consent to have your children vaccinated
Publicly funded vaccination programs offer GARDASIL®9 for free to students in schools across Canada.
Your child’s school will send home a consent form for you to sign and return, typically when they are in Grade 7. By providing your consent, your child can be vaccinated in school as part of the vaccination program with their peers.
Getting your children vaccinated before they are sexually active is best
GARDASIL®9 is the first and only vaccine that helps protect individuals against 9 HPV types that can lead to certain HPV-related cancers and diseases.
There are over 200 types of HPV, with about 40 different types that infect the genital tract. Most people who have an HPV infection do not have any symptoms and most infections will go away without treatment. Genital warts are often the only visible sign that a person is infected. However, in some people, HPV infections can lead to cervical, anal, vaginal or vulvar, and certain head and neck cancers, such as throat and back of mouth cancers.
Many low-risk HPV types will clear up on their own, but low-risk doesn’t mean no risk. Sometimes the virus stays hidden and reactivates later in life to cause genital warts. Persistent HPV infection can lead to:
How to help reduce their risk
HPV vaccination is one of the top ways to help protect your child against certain HPV-related cancers and diseases
in the future.
Help protect your child against certain HPV-related cancers and diseases
Find out how your child can get the GARDASIL®9 vaccine today and learn about free HPV vaccination school programs in your child’s province!
If you’d like to get your child vaccinated outside of their school program and they are not eligible for the provincial immunization program, many
private insurance plans reimburse some or all of the cost of GARDASIL®9. You can begin the process by connecting with a virtual healthcare
provider or finding a vaccination site near you.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. GARDASIL®9 can be administered in individuals ages 9 to 45, to help protect against infection caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 and the following diseases caused by HPV:
- Certain head and neck cancers, such as throat and back of mouth cancers caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. GARDASIL®9 has been issued market authorization with conditions for this indication pending the results of trials to verify its clinical benefit
- Anal cancer caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58
- Genital warts caused by types 6 and 11
- Abnormal and precancerous anal lesions caused by types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58
For more information about GARDASIL®9, talk to your healthcare professional.
Your child can get the virus at any point in their life once they are sexually active – which is why getting vaccinated before they are sexually active is recommended. All it takes is 1 infected partner to be infected. Vaccination with GARDASIL®9 helps prevent infection with the HPV types that cause most genital warts and certain HPV-related cancers.
For more information about GARDASIL®9, talk to your healthcare professional.
Using a condom is not a guarantee for complete protection against HPV, because they only protect the area they cover. HPV can still be contracted through skin-to-skin contact beyond the area the condom is covering. Using condoms may reduce the risk of getting HPV, but it is highly contagious, and condoms do not provide full protection. Your child can get infected just by skin-to-skin or oral contact with the genital area, and without having intercourse.
That said, using a condom is a great way to reduce the risk of HPV infection, not to mention an excellent way for your child to protect themself against other sexually transmitted infections.
For more information about GARDASIL®9, talk to your healthcare professional.
Have additional questions? Check out our FAQ page.
