Children as young as 13 years of age are vaccinated against the HPV virus.
Vaccination serves as a prevention against HPV. Some types of this virus can cause cervical cancer in girls and in women. However, men can also be infected with the virus. Cervical cancer is mainly caused by a type of virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of HPV, which can affect different parts of the body.
Most types are relatively harmless – such as those that cause common warts on the hands and feet.
Some types of HPV can invade the genital area and can lead to cervical cancer, abnormal cervical cells and genital warts.