It was almost three years ago that Gardasil, a vaccine preventing many of the most serious strains of the human papiloma virus (HPV), was approved for girls and women.
There are over 90 different types of HPV that affect the genitals. One type is responsible for genital warts. These can be unpleasant, but not deadly. A lot of HPV strains don't cause any harm and go away on their own. But some types of HPV are also responsible for cervical cancer, which can be deadly in women if left untreated.
Because men don't have a cervix, (which is the top of the vagina and the bottom of the uterus) the need to vaccinate them against HPV wasn't seen as crucial.
But men can also develop some serious consequences from HPV. The main worry is anal cancer. This is not a common cancer, but it affects men who have sex with men disproportionately.
- Gay and bisexual men are 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than heterosexual men.
- Men with weak immune systems, including those who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are more likely than other men to develop anal cancer. Men with HIV are also more likely to get severe cases of genital warts that are hard to treat.
Condoms are a really good way guys who have sex with guys can help reduce their risk of contracting HPV during anal sex. But condoms can't offer 100% protection from HPV. That's because the HPV virus lives on skin, and not all the skin it lives on will always be covered by a condom.
Even though the numbers of those affected by anal cancer are relatively low, it would be great if no one had to worry about this disease. So it was encouraging to hear that the makers of the HPV vaccine have asked the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve the vaccine for use in males as well.
In an interview with the website Pharmexec.com, a scientist who worked on male HPV tests explained that a lot of anal cancers in men are caused by the same types of HPV that the Gardasil vaccine is designed to prevent in women. She also explained:
“There is a significant cancer burden in men—men get cancer as a consequence of HPV infection—particularly in the anal cavity and penis, and in some cases, the incidence of these cancers is approaching what we see for cervical cancer in the United States.”
Still, the process of approving vaccines can take a long time. So for now, if you are sexually active, continue to practice safe sex by using condoms. Get tested regularly for STDs and see you doctor if you have any health concerns.
I do not understand why the medical industry does away with the importance of HPV protection in men. In Europe, both boys and girls are vaccinated with Gardasil and should be here in the Americas well. While men usually do not get symptoms from it, there is also no mainstream test for them either, so how would one really know if what their guy says about being clean is true? You don’t, which leaves the brunt of sexual health defense up to the female with the shots and yearly checks. The medical industry should care more about male HPV health.
HPV can definitely affect men too. In fact, genital warts are not uncommon for men. But we do not live in the dark ages anymore when medicine or cure for such concditions do not exist. For example, convenient genital warts treatment are now available like OxyFend. You can even get in online on http://www.zerowarts.com.uk if you are too embarrassed to walk into a pharmacy and order a tube of ointment for your genital warts.
I agree. Topical treatments are available now anywhere. My friend used Wartscide for her warts and she ordered it online. Very convenient now but this does not mean that it’s now okay to do unprotected sex since there are many available treatments. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to go through hell. People , especially teens, should be extra careful now instead.