HPV vaccine found to be effective for men too

An international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines administered to boys and young men appear to contribute to lowering the risk of contracting human papillomavirus and developing genital warts due to common sexually transmitted diseases. These findings push for the same urgency of using the vaccines on young women as well.

Gardasil, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccine for human papillomavirus, has been endorsed by public health officials since its approval in 2006. Women in particular were encouraged to be vaccinated in order to prevent cervical cancer. HPV is one of the causes of cervical cancer. In 2009, Gardasil has been approved for boys and men.

In the study with more than 4,000 test subjects who are sexually active, only 0.5 percent of men developed genital warts after they were given three shots of the vaccine. On the other hand, 2.8 percent of the participants who were given a placebo vaccine developed genital warts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that boys get vaccinated with human papillomavirus vaccines. Porche and Giuliano followed suit in giving the same recommendation

Human papillomavirus vaccines for men and women are usually covered by health insurance plans.