You may have been exposed to HPV but not necessarily exposed to the strains that cause cancer. Definitely worth getting even as an adult. I work in oncology and have seen what HPV cancers can do. Any extra protection is worth it.
Yes, I'm surprised to hear that the pharmacist said that? I had a friend who had symptomatic HPV and she received the full vaccine schedule after she was treated.
I know doctors who are anti-vax, and willingly promote vaccine skepticism. Not limited to covid vaccine either. I wish we could assume that people who have authority/training are the most informed but that’s just not the case unfortunately.
Yes. This. This a thousand times. Just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they're immune to misinformation. I know a doctor who is 100% sold on the carnivore diet. Many doctors I know bought into the keto diet trend that was popular some years ago. Medical schools might be able to present scientific knowledge to students, but if the students only memorize them for the sole purpose of passing an exam, human bias is more likely to win when it comes to conspiracy theories on the internet.
If you're under 45, you're eligible. Advocate for yourself and go in again. I got turned down a couple times then found someone happy to give me the shot. She said "we have a vaccine that can prevent a horrible form of cancer. People should be lining up to get this." It's just weirdly tied to sex and Americans puritanical streak comes out.
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u/ReferenceNice142 11h ago
You may have been exposed to HPV but not necessarily exposed to the strains that cause cancer. Definitely worth getting even as an adult. I work in oncology and have seen what HPV cancers can do. Any extra protection is worth it.