Why Vaccinate Guys Against HPV?

Transcription

1 IN THE KNOW: our health Why Vaccinate Guys Against HPV? By Sam Dercon, 18, Staff Writer I was confused when I first heard that Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), was being recommended for guys. Of course I had heard of Gardasil before. But in my mind it was only a vaccine three painful shots that girls got to prevent cervical cancer, which can be caused by certain strains of HPV. So I began to wonder, why on earth would guys want to get these shots, too? Not Just for Girls I soon learned that HPV can cause not only cervical cancer, but also rare cancers, like vulvar, vaginal and penile cancers, as well as genital warts. Then it began to make sense to me. Gardasil was also for guys because it reduces the likelihood that you will pass HPV to your partner while also protecting against genital warts, which affect both males and females. But even with these beneficial effects, I was wary of the idea. I hadn t heard of any guys I knew getting the vaccine. My doctor had never suggested it to me, even though he told my sister that she should get it. So, I began to ask around to find out if anyone had recommended to the guys I knew that they get the vaccine. I found no one. When I asked guys if they had ever thought about getting the vaccine, they either responded that they had never been told about it or were shocked that I was asking if they had gotten a vaccine for girls who are having sex. Misinformation Leads to Stigma I realized then that a stigma surrounds Gardasil. It s recommended that the vaccine be administered between the ages of 11 and 12 to ensure that teens have received it before becoming sexually active, since it only protects against future infections and does not cure current infections. (The vaccine can be prescribed up until the age of 26 and can be given to people as young as nine.) Though the vaccine should be given before teens become sexually active, people continue to think it s for girls who are having sex, which just isn t true. But this reputation may make guys disinclined to consider getting the vaccine themselves. I will admit that I initially fell into this uninformed group. But when I learned that the vaccine would protect me from getting or spreading certain types of HPV that cause cancer and genital warts, my opinion immediately changed. The Benefits You might feel a little embarrassed at first asking your doctor about a vaccine that has become popular because of its use to prevent cervical cancer, but the benefits far outweigh this moment of embarrassment. It s also not fair to assume that if you have a female partner, she has gotten the vaccine and won t be at risk if you re a carrier of an HPV strain. While some people who are infected with HPV from a previous sexual partner show symptoms such as genital warts, many others simply carry the virus without any visible signs. These carriers may not even know that they have HPV, which puts all of their partners at a greater risk. Getting the vaccine ensures that if you are exposed to certain HPV strains your body has the ability to fight them off and prevent infection. Relationships are two-way streets and just as guys shouldn t be the only ones carrying condoms, girls shouldn t be the only ones expected to make sure they are protected against certain strains of HPV. It s also not a smart idea to rely entirely on someone else s claim that they have received the vaccine, and that way they can t pass anything on to you. What if they never actually got the vaccine or got it too late? Wouldn t you prefer to know that you are definitely protected? I know I would. Make an effort to learn the facts about HPV and the vaccine. Tell your friends all about it. If your doctor hasn t suggested it to you yet, bring it up and see what she or he has to say. You should never be ashamed about making sure that your body is healthy. Why Wonder? 7

2 Lesson Plan By Nora Gelperin, M.Ed. For Professionals Working with Teens Sexetc.org Spring 2012 Why Vaccinate Guys Against HPV? LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the completion of this lesson, students will be able to 1. Explain what Gardasil is and when and how teen guys should get vaccinated. 2. Demonstrate their understanding of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) HPV by describing at least two prevention strategies. NATIONAL SEXUALITY EDUCATION STANDARD ADDRESSED SH.12.AI.2: Access medically accurate prevention information about STDs, including HIV. TIME NEEDED 50 minutes MATERIALS Copies of article Why Vaccinate Guys Against HPV? one per student One onion ball prepared (see directions below) Five pieces of newsprint prepared (see directions below) Tape PREPARATION Prepare five pieces of newsprint with one of the following graffiti sheet statements on each: A) Names of STDs I ve heard of... B) What I already know about HPV... C) Something that is confusing about HPV is... D) Ways that teens can prevent STDs include... E) Places teens could go to get more info about HPV/STDs include... Hang each piece of newsprint on the walls around your room in the order listed above with the bottom taped up to the top so the sheet is folded in half. Untape each covered statement when you are ready to begin the activity. Write or type each of the onion ball questions onto a separate piece of paper. It is helpful if you have at least two different colored pieces of paper and alternate colors for each question. Crumple up question #12. Then crumple up question #11 around question #12. Continue until all papers are crumpled up, creating a layered ball of paper with question #1 on the outside. Question #1 is the first question a student would peel off and answer.

3 PROCEDURE 1. Introduce the lesson by explaining that HPV, human papillomavirus, is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases people who are sexually active can get. Explain that it s also one of the few STDs for which a vaccine is available. 2. Direct students to the five newsprint sheets hanging around the room and explain that these are graffiti sheets, each with a statement on it. Explain that students are to stand with a pen or pencil, move around the room and complete the statement on each sheet. Tell students they will have approximately five minutes total to write on all sheets. Have students begin the activity. Mingle around the room while students are writing their responses. (Facilitator s Note: Another option for this activity is to divide students into five groups and have each group rotate to a different sheet when you call time.) [5 minutes for steps 1 to 2] 3. Call time when five minutes have passed and ask five students to bring the sheets of newsprint to the front of the class and hang them where everyone can see them. Review what students wrote on each sheet briefly going in order from A to E. Correct any misinformation as time allows and explain that many of the questions on sheet C will be addressed in the article about HPV that the class will read next. (Facilitator s Note: This part of the lesson may need more than five minutes if your group has not received any instruction about STDs prior to this lesson. Please plan accordingly.) [5 minutes] 4. Distribute copies of the article Why Vaccinate Guys Against HPV? and read together with the class. Ask students for their reactions to the article and discuss as time allows. [5 minutes] 5. Depending on the size of your group, ask students to stand in a circle facing inward. Introduce the onion ball and explain that there are questions about HPV and the Gardasil vaccine on each sheet of paper. Explain that students will gently toss the ball around the circle and the person who catches it should peel off the outside paper, read the question and answer it as best as she or he can. (Facilitator s Note: If you have a large group, you can have students play in partners or teams.) Ask students if there are any questions about the directions and if not, begin the game and continue until all questions are answered. Help any student who might be struggling with a particular question and supplement students answers with additional information as needed. [15 minutes] 6. Once the game is over, divide students into groups of three to four by having them form a group with students they re standing next to in the circle. Have students sit together with their group and explain that the final activity is for each group to create a public information campaign about the Gardasil vaccine for teen guys. Each group can decide what type of campaign they want to create a television commercial, a radio ad, a jingle, Internet banner ad, etc. but they only have five minutes to come up with their campaign. The requirements for their campaign are as follows: The information must be medically accurate. It must appeal to teen guys. It should encourage them to get the Gardasil vaccine. Ask students if there are any questions about the directions, and if not, give them five minutes to complete their task. Mill around the groups while they re working in order to answer any questions and provide guidance as needed. [10 minutes] 7. Use remaining time to have each group share their public information campaign, and, if it would enhance learning, award prizes for most creative or most original or any other categories you think would resonate with your learners. Close the lesson by reviewing the answers to graffiti sheet E again so that students leave with resources to get additional information about HPV/STDs. [10 minutes]

4 Onion Ball Questions Type each question or statement below on separate sheets of paper. These sheets will be used to create an onion ball. The answers in brackets below are for the facilitator only and should not be included on the sheets of paper used for the onion ball. 1. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection and stands for [Answer: HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS] 2.How many shots does someone need to have during 6 months to get the entire vaccine? 3 shots 1 shot 5 shots [Answer: 3 SHOTS Gardasil is given in a series of three shots over a six month time frame by a health care provider in a doctor s office or clinic.] 3. What is the name of the HPV vaccine? [Answer: GARDASIL Cervarix is also an acceptable answer, but it s the vaccine only for girls while Gardasil is available for guys and girls.] 4. The HPV vaccine should be given to teen guys before their genitals touch the genitals of another person during sexual contact. [Answer: TRUE Since HPV is such a common infection, it only works if someone gets the vaccine before they have had any sexual contact with another person in which their genitals might have touched the genitals of another person. The vaccine cannot treat HPV once someone becomes infected.] 5. Boys should get the HPV vaccine when they are years old years old years old [Answer: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all boys ages 11 to12 years old get the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, to make sure that boys receive the vaccine before their first sexual contact.] 6. The HPV vaccine only works to treat someone who already has genital warts. [Answer: FALSE Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, can only prevent HPV not treat or cure it. Therefore, if someone already has genital warts, they already have HPV and therefore Gardasil, the vaccine, will not be effective.] 7. You can get the HPV vaccine, called Gardasil, over the counter in a drugstore. [Answer: FALSE Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, must be given by a health care provider in a series of three shots given over six months.]

5 8. The HPV vaccine, called Gardasil, can prevent cancer of the cervix, anus and penis. [Answer: TRUE The Gardasil vaccine prevents two kinds of HPV that cause a person to have visible genital warts and two other kinds that increase his risk for cancer of the penis and anus. Gardasil will not treat or cure someone who already is infected with HPV.] 9. In addition to getting Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, what two other ways could someone prevent getting HPV? [Answer: Abstinence from sexual contact, using latex condoms correctly and reducing the number of sexual partners one has.] 10. Boys and men can get cancer of the penis. 11. During a routine checkup or sports physical, the doctor will always give a teen guy the HPV vaccine. [Answer: FALSE A doctor may not offer the Gardasil HPV vaccine as it s a new recommendation for teen guys to get it. It s best for teen guys to ask their doctor about the vaccine when they are at the doctor s office or clinic.] 12. Teen guys don t need to worry about HPV since, if they have sex with only girls, the girls will already have gotten the HPV vaccine. [Answer: FALSE Not all teen guys are just sexual with girls, and there are many girls who have not gotten the HPV vaccine themselves. Teen guys should protect themselves and get the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, whenever possible.] [Answer: TRUE Although not as common as other types of cancer, it is possible for teen guys and men to develop penile cancer. The risk of getting penile cancer increases if the guy has HPV, the virus that can be prevented by getting the Gardasil vaccine.]