Earlier this summer the American Cancer Society (ACS) launched a campaign aimed at eliminating cervical cancer. The goal of the Mission: HPV Cancer Free is to have 80-percent of 13-year-old boys and girls in the US fully vaccinated with the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine by 2026.

ACS Senior Community Manager and Relay for Life of Guthrie County spokesperson Kim Durst says it’s a great time to get the vaccine as many adolescents are receiving required immunizations for school. Durst addresses safety concerns brought up by the vaccinations. “It is safe. More than 270 million doses have been distributed around the world since 2006. Safety studies continue to show that HPV vaccination is very safe.”

She also mentions that vaccine ingredients including aluminum should not be an inhibitor in receiving the immunization. Each year in the US, about 31,500 men and women are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV. To hear more from Durst about the HPV vaccine, listen to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program.