Mother backs HPV vaccine

Being vaccinated against HPV, a virus that can cause cervical cancer, is something Featherston mother Vicki Farrier can't recommend enough to young women.
A series of three vaccinations against HPV (human papillomavirus) are now free to all young women born after 1990, and the Gardasil vaccine will be part of the Government's national immunisation schedule for year 8 pupils from next year.
More than a year ago, Mrs Farrier was unsure if the schedule would be introduced so went ahead and paid for her daughter Courtney to be vaccinated anyway.
Courtney was 12 at the time and, being a registered nurse, Mrs Farrier knew this was the optimal range for the vaccination.
"I know that my girl will grow up one day and become a partner, maybe a wife, perhaps a mother.
"And that's why I wanted to have her vaccinated against HPV now so that she will be protected into her adulthood from the heartache of cervical cancer.
"I think that it was money well spent, and we have no regrets, even though the vaccine is now going to be offered free."
Mrs Farrier spent a lot of time researching the vaccine before bringing up the subject with her daughter.
"Once I was convinced of the value of the vaccination, I gave her a pamphlet to read and explained why I thought it would be a good step for her to take.
"The first thing she said was, 'is it going to hurt like the MeNZB one?' but she had no adverse reactions to this one. Some girls have had a mild reaction, but she didn't even have a sore arm."
When she gave her the information, she told her the vaccination would protect her against the most common types of cervical cancer.
"She was like 'what's that?' and when I explained, she thought that it was all too gross and horrible."
That, Mrs Farrier believes, is one of the reasons why parents need to find out about the vaccine, talk to their daughters about it, and help them to make a decision regarding it.
"Our teenagers operate very much in the moment, and they're not always good at making decisions that will affect them next week, let alone in five or 10 years time.
"This vaccine is most effective when it's given before they're exposed to any form of HPV, and that means before they become sexually active."
She said there are many different strains of HPV and even if a woman is sexually active, she may not have been exposed to all the particular strains that may go on to cause disease.
She also stresses the need for women to have regular cervical smears whether they have been vaccinated against HPV or not, as a way of checking that everything is fine.