August 23, 2024,  Healthy Savannah hosted a pivotal roundtable discussion on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at the Chatham County Health Department, bringing together leaders from dozens of local organizations that work with young people, particularly males, to discuss the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its impact on our community. The event provided a lunch-and-learn opportunity focused on HPV prevention and the importance of vaccination in preventing HPV-related cancers.

The meeting, part of Healthy Savannah’s HPV Vaccination Equity Initiative, aimed to inspire organizations to share critical information about the vaccine with parents, young adults, and broader community members. Representatives from the Girl Scouts, 100 Black Men, and other youth outreach and mentoring organizations were in attendance 

“According to the CDC, more than 50,000 adults in the US die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications each year," said Dr. Elsie Smalls, Adult Immunization Program Manager at Healthy Savannah. “There is a misconception that HPV is only a female issue and it’s not…males can also contract cancer as a result of being infected with HPV. We want everyone to know that this vaccine is readily available and that HPV prevention is cancer prevention. 

Katee MacCauley Sykes, MPH and a health educator for the Chatham County Health Department, stressed the importance of accurate and ongoing communication with parents about the availability of the vaccine. She noted that young adults should be vaccinated during their early teen years. She advised that it was important to remind parents that HPV is a virus, and once contracted, can lie dormant for years before showing symptoms. She also noted that more information on HPV and vaccination sites can be found on the Hero Help Me database, a resource which helps uninsured or underinsured individuals connect with free or low-cost programs offering HPV vaccines. The site can be found at https://www.herohelpme.com/

The meeting was not open to the public, but leaders of youth organizations who are interested in future events or in receiving an HPV toolkit which will include an overview of HPV, talking points for discussions with youth and parents, and resources such as flyers, social media posts, and podcasts can contact Patricia Merritt, HPV Vaccination Equity Initiative program coordinator, at [email protected]. A digital version of the toolkit will also be available soon.