The Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU School of Medicine is hosting a roundtable discussion on human papillomavirus vaccinations - or HPV.
HPV is a viral infection that can cause various types of cancer, but medical experts say many people are unaware of its impact.
SIU School of Medicine head and neck surgical oncologist Arun Sharma says HPV infection is common and preventable.
"We know from some of the studies that have been done that over 93% of oral HPV infection can be prevented by the HPV vaccine. We know if we can prevent that infection from first occurring that can result in prevention of cancer later in life."
Sharma says children should receive the HPV vaccine by the time they are 11 or 12 because that's prior to the time they could potentially be infected by the virus.
"In children who are vaccinated under the age of 15, they only need two doses of the vaccine. Whereas, after that age, they would actually need three doses. So, it's actually fewer shots if they do it at a younger age because their immune system mounts a greater response at a younger age."
The roundtable discussion in Springfield will be streamed live on the Simmons Cancer Institute Facebook page starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
