August is National Immunization Awareness Month and a great time to talk about our FREE HPV vaccine for patients without insurance (ages 14 to 45).
HPV, or Human Papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is usually harmless and goes away by itself, but some types can lead to genital warts or cancer.
Because HPV is such a common infection that usually goes away on its own, most people never know they have HPV.
The only way you can totally protect yourself against HPV is to avoid any sexual activity that involves genital contact. If you are having any kind of sexual contact:
- Get the HPV vaccine (free for patients without insurance at PPNCSNJ)! Ask a staff member for more information (1-800-230-PLAN) and schedule your appointment today.
- Use a condom. Condoms may lower the risk of HPV if used correctly every time you have sex. However, HPV can be transmitted from skin-to-skin contact and it can infect areas that are not covered by a condom — so condoms do not fully protect against HPV.
- Get a regular Pap test starting at age 21. While a Pap test doesn’t directly diagnose HPV, it can look for abnormal cells (that are caused by HPV) in the cervix before the cells become pre-cancer or cancer.
We’re always here to answer any of your questions about vaccines, sexual and reproductive health, and more. Schedule your appointment for your free HPV vaccine today!
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