According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, all males, between the ages of 11 and 21-years-old, should receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Initially, the HPV vaccine was recommended only for young women, but with new information, the vaccine is now recommended for all.
The HPV vaccine is designed to prevent the spread of human papillomavirus, which has been shown to cause genital warts and mouth/throat cancers in both men and women, and cervical cancer in women. The HPV vaccine comes in a series of three shots to boost an individual’s immune response; however, it has been shown with at least one dose in young women, they are protected against 70 percent of infections. A full series of the vaccine is recommended, but in recent reports, fewer people receive the full three shot series, compared to people who have received at least one or two doses.
Having young males vaccinated against HPV will help reduce the spread of HPV to others. This will reduce their partner’s risk of cervical cancer, genital warts, and other cancers. In addition, it is important for people to receive the HPV vaccine before they become sexually active, and it has been shown that between the ages of 11 and 12-years-old, people’s antibody production is most effective.
According to the CDC, this recommendation comes after the committee, comprised of 16 medical societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians, suggested its importance in October 2011. However, the recommendations were made public in the Feb. 1st issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine and on Feb. 3rd in the issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A recent report from last week showed that nearly 16 million American between the ages of 14 and 69-years-old are infected with HPV in their mouth or throat. Thus, at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women get infected with HPV, and a majority of people do not develop symptoms. Some infections lead to warts, cervical cancer and other cancers, including of the head and neck.
Since 2006, HPV vaccines have been recommended for girls, leading to only 49 percent of adolescent girls receiving at least one of the three HPV shots. However, the proportion of women between the ages of 19 and 26-years-old who have reported receiving at least one dose of the HPV vaccine has increased from 3.5 percent to 20.7 percent.
According to the Feb. 3 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vaccination rates against 1) tetanus, diphtheria and acellus pertussis (Tdap), 2) human papillomavirus (HPV), 3) shingles did not increase among adults.
Lacking immunizations is a serious problem in the U.S. Annually, about 45,000 Americans die from vaccine-preventable diseases. To improve low vaccination rates, the CDC calls for improved education, broader access to vaccines, and effective follow-up with patients with reminders and recall systems.
