HPV infections have raised a great deal of concern due to the high incidence of HPV infections coupled with the association of HPV with potentially serious health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are greater than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. The mouth and throat can also be infected with HPV.
The majority of people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In about 90% of cases the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years. However, sometimes, HPV infections are not cleared and can cause genital warts, rarely, warts in the throat which is a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, or RRP, and cervical cancer and other, less common but serious cancers, which include cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx.
Infectious Disease News has reported "ACIP: HPV vaccination recommended for 11- to 12-year-old boys." The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has approved a routine recommendation which is in favor of administering the quadrivalent HPV vaccine for boys aged 11 to 12 years. The committee came to the decision that the vaccine (Gardasil, Merck) was safe, efficacious and cost-effective enough to warrant routine usage in this population.
The earlier recommendation issued in 2009 was permissive, which meant providers could give the vaccine to boys, but that it was not routinely administered. The change would now put the HPV vaccine into the regular vaccination schedule. The three-vaccination series for HPV can start as early as age 9 years. The new recommendation will go to the full CDC with a vote likely in a few months
Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, has said that the number of girls receiving vaccinations has been disappointing, and it is hoped that vaccinating boys will protect both young women and young men. The full CDC vote on the recommendation of HPV vaccination for 11 to 12 year old boys is now being anxiously awaited by everyone concerned about HPV.
