Episode Details

In the two decades since the HPV vaccine was approved, women's risk of developing cervical cancer has dropped by 80% for those vaccinated before age 16 and 66% in those vaccinated after age 16. It has also lowered the risk of other HPV-related cancers in men. In this episode: Journalist Liz Szabo recounts the incredible successes of this intervention in preventing cancer and discusses the existing misinformation surrounding the vaccine, still considered by some to be too "new."

Liz Szabo, MA, is an investigative health reporter with CIDRAP News.

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

• 20 Years of HPV Vaccine Success—CIDRAP News

• Do I Need an HPV Vaccine?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Preventing Cancer: The Far-Reaching Impact of Vaccines—International Vaccine Access Center

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