The number of children receiving the HPV vaccines is lower than the number receiving other vaccines.

Statistics indicate that parents seem to avoid getting the three-part vaccine for their children. In Florida, only about 25 percent of young girls have gotten all three doses. This number is even less for boys in the state.

Parents who are against vaccines tend to worry about potential harmful side effects resulting from the shots. However, Gardasil has been used for the last eight years to ward of HPV infection, yet no troubling side effects have been recorded.

Another reason parents are avoiding the vaccines appears to be because the shots are most effective when administered between the ages of 11 and 14. Since HPV is considered a sexually transmitted infection, the topic of the vaccines can lead to the often uncomfortable topic of young girls and boys becoming sexually active.

While it is true that HPV is transmitted during sex, it is also true that it is the most common STI among adults. Most people will contract the virus at some point in their lives. For many, the virus will be handled by the immune system and no complications will come from it. For the rest, issues like genital warts, infection of others and, worst of all, cancer are very real issues that could arise.

According to the CDC, 33,200 men and women are diagnosed with HPV-related cancers each year. These include cancers of the cervix, anus, vagina, penis, and throat. Cervical cancer is most prevalent with women and cancer of the back of the mouth and throat are most common in men. It is thought to be behind 90 percent of all cervical and anal cancers and between 60 to 70 percent of other types of other cancers mentioned.

The round of vaccines is somewhat expensive, running about $450 for all three shots. Insurance and the Vaccines for Children program help offset the cost, which is really quite small compared to the financial burdens that come with having cancer.