In a widely circulated social media post, an author who claims she is not anti-vaccine promoted misleading information about HPV vaccination for children. The post, which was viewed over 10 million times, suggested that young children should not get the vaccine because it’s only for sexually transmitted diseases. Most of the top responses correctly noted that children should receive the vaccine before they are sexually active and at risk for contracting HPV. Others emphasized how widespread HPV is and explained why vaccination is the best protection against HPV-related cancers. However, many posts falsely claimed that HPV vaccines are unsafe, don’t prevent cancer, and encourage irresponsible sexual behaviors.
Recommendation
Myths about HPV vaccines are widespread and discourage parents from vaccinating their children. Debunking messaging may explain that the HPV vaccine prevents multiple cancers and that millions of children and adolescents worldwide have received HPV vaccines since 2006 with no serious safety concerns. Messaging may also highlight that the HPV vaccine has dramatically decreased cervical cancer rates in many countries, including the U.S.
Fact-checking sources: Public Good News, NFID, PAHO
