CDC: HPV, the 'anti-cancer' vaccine

ATLANTA, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. health officials are calling the human papillomavirus vaccine the "anti-cancer" vaccine because it can prevent cancers of the cervix and throat.

Shannon Stokley, a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said the HPV vaccine protects against forms of HPV that most frequently cause cancer.

"The HPV vaccine series consists of three doses, and it's recommended that all girls and boys receive this vaccine at age 11 or 12," Stokley said in a statement.

Stokley said it's not too late to get vaccinated even up to age 26. But the vaccine, which has been out since 2006, still has low coverage -- partly because people don't know about it and its benefits.