Cervical Cancer Vaccine May Prevent Genital Warts in Men

The HPV (human Papilloma virus) vaccine is known to help protect women against developing cervical cancer, and a recent study conducted across 18 countries has indicated that the HPV vaccine may be as useful to prevent genital warts in men.

The multi country study involving more than four thousand individuals, was able to demonstrate that the vaccine can successfully prevent as many as 90% of cases of male genital warts.

vaccine-for-men

After being given the shot, the study subjects were exposed to four of the main strains of the HPV virus.

According to Joel Palefsky, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, if boys are vaccinated with the HPV vaccine at sufficiently early age, then HPV infectionsof the external area; i.e. genital warts may be able to be prevented in most cases.

So clearly there is now a strong case being made out in favor of vaccinating men and boys against the HPV virus to successfully prevent genital warts. Whereas earlier this vaccine recommendation was in respect of women, it can now be recommended in respect of sexually active males between the ages of 16 and 24.