HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus, which is a very common family of viruses that are found in the skin and mucous membranes. There are over 140 types of HPV with 30-40 types that are commonly transmitted through sexual contact but most of them cause no symptoms and are temporary, 90% of all infections will go within 2 years.

While most people who get HPV will be unaware of it, for some people the effects of HPV can be devastating. HPV can cause genital warts and, far more seriously, a number of different types of cancer.

Despite the fact that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, it seems that most of us knew little or nothing about it until the introduction of the HPV vaccine.

HPV Vaccination Programme for Cancer Prevention in Young Women

HPV vaccines (called Gardasil (Silgard) and Cervarix*) protect against two types of HPV (types 16 and 18) that are responsible for around 70% of all cervical cancers and for that reason they were initially approved for use with girls and young women between the ages of 9-26 for the prevention of cervical cancer, cancer of the vulva and vagina.

It has been argued that young males do not routinely need to be given the HPV vaccine, since clearly they are not at risk of cervical, vulva or vaginal cancer and vaccination of young women will help to increase what it is referred to as “herd immunity”. In other words, young women who have vad the HPV vaccine will not pass on the virus, so it will gradually decrease among males as well.

The Case for Offering Young Men the HPV Vaccine

Recently however, the FDA has approved the use of the HPV vaccine Gardasil for use with both males and females for the prevention of anal cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. This is in addition to its previously approved uses of preventing HPV caused cervical, vaginal and vulva cancer and also for the prevention of genital warts in both males and females.

HPV is associated with 90% of all anal cancer cases, with more women than men being diagnosed with this cancer. However among men, the disease is more prevalent among gay men who engage in anal sex and for this reason it is expected that more young gay men will choose to receive the HPV vaccine than other population groups.

There are other cancers that are associated with HPV and these are known as mouth and oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the mouth and throat/cancers of the head and neck). In the past these cancers were most strongly associated with smoking and drinking, although HPV infection was also an acknowledged risk factor.

There is now evidence that suggests that incidences of oropharyngeal cancers are increasing and that the percentage of cases caused by HPV has risen from around 30% to over 70%. It also seems that men are increasingly at risk from HPV caused oropharyngeal cancers, with around 6 out of 7 of all new cases being seen in men. Oral sex with female partners is the most common way that HPV is transmitted to the mouth and throat.

HPV can also cause cancer of the penis.

HPV Vaccine Programs

Increasing numbers of male cancers cases caused by HPV may eventually make it cost effective to implement an HPV vaccination program for young males, as well as young females. Until such time young men will have either to pay for vaccination privately or hope that all their female partners have chosen to get have the HPV vaccine.

However, despite the HPV vaccine’s effectiveness at presenting extremely unpleasant and potentially lethal diseases, the number of young women in the US who have been vaccinated is currently only around 10%.

Ideally the HPV vaccine should be administered before a person becomes sexually active, although it is still worthwhile being vaccinated at a later stage.

*Cervarix protects against HPV types 16 and 18 which cause most HPV associated cancers. Gardasil (Silgard) protects against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of cases of genital warts and also protects against HPV types 16 and 18.

Put simply, preventive medicine, also sometimes called preventative medicine, is treatment intended to help stop individuals from developing an illness or medical condition. On a wider scale it covers programmes that affect whole communities, such as clean water, food standards, hygiene, etc.

Preventive medicine can take many forms:

For example, health education may inform people of the risks of certain lifestyle choices and what can be done to help remove or reduce the risk. Public health campaigns have helped to educate people on how to reduce the risk of heart attack, sexual health and the advantages of taking folic acid before and during pregnancy.

Vaccination may prevent the development of certain serious ilnesses and widespread use has helped to practicaly eradicate some diseases. Many countries have childhood vaccination programmes to prevent diseases such a measles, mumps, rubella, polio and, more recently the hpv vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer. Specific groups of people who are considered to be at greater risk if they develop the illness may be also be offered the flu vaccine.

Treatment with medication can help prevent some illnesses. For example, people going to areas where there is a high risk of developing malaria may be treated with anti-malarial drugs. People who are at increased risk of blood clots, such as relatively immobile hospital patients, may be treated with blood thinning drugs.

Information on Preventive Medicines

PreventiveMedicines.org provides information on different types of preventive treatment, the potential benefits, the known risks and side effects. It also identifies groups who may particularly benefit from each type of preventive medicine and/or be entited to treatment under public health programmes.

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