HPV jab for teens

COVID-19 might be the first thing you think of when someone says “vaccination” these days, but there’s another vaccination Moorabool Shire Council is helping young people catch up on.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus spread through sexual contact, and can cause cancers including cervix, vulva, vagina, penis and anus, and some head and neck cancers.

The Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine is administered through the high school years, but Council is holding an HPV Vaccine Catchup Program for students from the ages of 12 to 18 who may have missed out.

The Gardasil 9 vaccine is for everyone, regardless of gender, and helps protect both the person getting vaccinated, and others.

The best time to be immunised against HPV is before you become sexually active. The vaccine will not protect you against HPV-related cancers and diseases caused by an HPV type you’ve already caught, but will protect you against other types used in the vaccine.

There are 9 types covered in the vaccine provided, including the four strains most likely to cause severe disease.

Vaccination sessions will be held for Bacchus Marsh College students at Bacchus Marsh Secondary College on Thursday 6 October, and for Bacchus Marsh Grammar students at Bacchus Marsh Grammar on Thursday 13 October.

For everyone else, two sessions will be held at the Darley Civic Hub Pavilion – one from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday 8 October, and one from 5 pm to 7 pm on Wednesday 12 October.

Bookings for the Darley Civic Hub Pavilion are essential. To book, visit www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/Events/HPV-Vaccinations.

You can find more information about HPV at www.health.gov.au/diseases