{"id":17661,"date":"2026-03-09T11:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T15:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17661"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T15:34:08","slug":"the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-health-department-urges-virginians-to-get-informed-and-vaccinated","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-health-department-urges-virginians-to-get-informed-and-vaccinated\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>March 9, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Dr Zelalem Attlee, <u><a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>March is National HPV Awareness Month.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WARRENTON, Va. \u2014 This month, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department highlights the importance of preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers and diseases through screening, vaccination, and education.<\/p>\n<p><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/immunization\/hpv\/\">HPV<\/a><\/u> is spread through close and intimate skin-to-skin contact.\u00a0 Roughly <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hpv\/hcp\/clinical-overview\/index.html#cdc_clinical_overview_overview-introduction\">85% of people<\/a><\/u> will get an HPV infection in their lifetime, affecting millions of Americans each year. The HPV virus can cause cervical, throat, anal, and other <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/healthy\/hpv-vaccine.html\">cancers<\/a><\/u>, but the <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/human-papillomavirus-(hpv)-and-cervical-cancer\">HPV vaccine<\/a><\/u>\u00a0is a safe and effective tool to prevent these health issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring National HPV Awareness Month, we encourage everyone in our community to get informed about HPV and the cancers it can cause,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D. \u201cThe HPV vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect our children and ourselves. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District urges families to talk with their healthcare provider and stay up to date on recommended vaccinations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The<u><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/redbook\/resources\/15585\/AAP-Immunization-Schedule?autologincheck=redirected&amp;_gl=1*1tuvxn*_ga*MTQ5Mjk4ODY2NS4xNzMyNjM0NjQ5*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*czE3NzIwMzc5NDUkbzI3JGcwJHQxNzcyMDM3OTQ1JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3NzE0NDg5NjEuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1JbUxTc3lfbmprZ01WbmtwSEFSMWRXQldFRUFBWUFTQUNFZ0xJMV9EX0J3RQ..*_gcl_au*NTcwMTcwODU3LjE3NjUzNjg4Njg.*_ga_GMZCQS1K47*czE3NzIwMzc5NDUkbzIwJGcwJHQxNzcyMDM3OTQ1JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..\">\u00a0American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a><\/u>\u00a0(AAP) recommends HPV vaccination for boys and girls starting at ages 11 to 12. Vaccination can be administered as early as age nine and through age 26 for those who did not get vaccinated earlier. Some adults age 27 and older may choose to get vaccinated, in consultation with a healthcare provider.<\/p>\n<p>Screening for HPV is another safe and effective tool for preventing HPV-related cancer; however, it is not available for all cancers caused by HPV.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Women should start getting screened for cervical cancer at age 21. Screening can include <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/cervical-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging\/screening-tests\/hpv-test.html\">HPV<\/a><\/u> and\/or <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/cervical-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging\/screening-tests\/pap-test.html\">Pap<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<li>A healthcare provider can help determine which screening test is best and how often a woman should get screened.<\/li>\n<li>Eligible women can get free screenings through the <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/every-womans-life\/\">Every Woman\u2019s Life Program.<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department asks all Virginians to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Talk to your healthcare provider about the HPV vaccine for yourself or your children.<\/li>\n<li>Schedule an appointment for HPV vaccination if you or your child is eligible and have not yet received it. The HPV vaccine is available for free through the <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/immunization\/vvfc\/locatevvfcprovider\/\">Virginia Vaccines for Children <\/a><\/u>(VVFC) program for eligible children ages nine to 18 years old.<\/li>\n<li>Share information about HPV prevention with family, friends, and your community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Together, we can make HPV-related cancers a thing of the past. Vaccination is a step toward cancer prevention.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about HPV, the vaccine, contact the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department at <u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong># # #<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March 9, 2026 Media Contact: Dr Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated March is National HPV Awareness Month. WARRENTON, Va. \u2014 This month, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department highlights the importance of preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers and diseases through screening, vaccination, and education. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1008,348,12],"class_list":["post-17661","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-cancer","tag-hpv","tag-vaccination"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated. - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-health-department-urges-virginians-to-get-informed-and-vaccinated\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated. - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"March 9, 2026 Media Contact: Dr Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department Urges Virginians to Get Informed and Vaccinated March is National HPV Awareness Month. WARRENTON, Va. \u2014 This month, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Health Department highlights the importance of preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers and diseases through screening, vaccination, and education. 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