FDA panel recommends HPV vaccine for boys
Yesterday, a FDA panel recommended that the agency approve Gardasil - the HPV vaccine - for use in young men and boys. Something tells me that despite the vaccine being recommended for use in boys as young as 9 years old, no conservative organizations are going to bemoaning boys' "lost innocence" or worrying about them becoming big whores.
Related: Quick Hit: The HPV vaccine for boys?
Good news on HPV vaccine?
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Hit me with your best (HPV) shot
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I saw the advert online for the HPV virus, and it says 'we're vaccinating girls 12 to 18.' So I guess that means I'm not worth it since I'm over 18, even if I've not been sexually active...
I would actually talk to your doctor. I was 23 when I got it, and my doctor still recommended it.
Yup. Some insurance will cover it up to age 26.
I wonder if they recommend it for girls in that age group because those girls are less likely to already have contracted HPV? My doctor suggested I get my Gardasil shot this year, and I'm 23.
The age ranges only exist because that's who they did their clinical trials on (in women up to 26, more accurately). Therefore, that is who insurance companies will cover. It's all economic, there is no scientific basis for the age limit. If you are over 26 and want Gardasil, you can still get it from your doctor if you ask for it, but you will have to pay out-of-pocket (it's expensive enough to deter me, but the option's available). I THINK my obgyn told me that there are current trials going on right now on older women, so that may not be true forever.
Also (even though no one's said anything to the contrary, but the info's worth sharing), if you already have 1 of the 2 types of HPV, it is still worth getting the vaccine to protect against the other kind (IE - I have the strain that causes cervical cancer, but not the kind that causes warts, therefore I could still protect myself against warts if I got the shots).
Every time I get a flu vaccine I feel an overwhelming urge to go lick someone who has the flu just because I can... so I totally see what all the panic is about. It really makes perfect sense.
sweet! now my boys can start sticking their penises (penii?) in everything that moves and never catch warts from those slutty girls.
/sarcasm
This stuck out to me:
"The panel also said that marketing for Gardasil could be extended to men ages 9 to 26, but conceded that probably not many would be likely to be immunized -- both because of the rarity of penile and anal cancers and the high cost of the vaccine, $400 for a three-dose regimen. Critics also argue that it is not yet clear how long the protection provided by the vaccine persists. The companies have studied it for only five years in women and three in men, and there are some hints that the protection may fade."
I understand that the risks of cancer are lower for men, but aren't they still concerned about genital warts? Also, it seems that if both men and women spread HPV and if half of all sexual active men and women get HPV (I believe the number of women who get HPV is around 80%, correct me if I am wrong), then we really have a responsibility to vaccinate everyone if we have the resources.
Also, I'm confused by the statement that says "protection may fade". Do they mean protection fades in just men or in both men and women?
Have these people never heard of "herd immunity"?
Any herd immunity is rendered pretty moot if it fades during the time the person is still exposed to the pathogen.
Further it is expensive for society to obtain herd immunity, that money can be used for other health issues. If you look at the ones we have attempted to do so they are all highly contagious, and pose significant health risks, which made their eradication all that more important. By contrast for the vast majority of people infected with the various strains of HPV there are no negative health consequences. That money can be spent increasing the WHO's efforts to obtain worldwide immunity for polio, or on a variety of issues in the first world.
Further given the stark differences in transmission methods between the mumps and HPV it is probably not an accurate comparison to the MMR vaccine of the levels of herd immunity required.
It would be entirely reasonable for a person to decide that on the balance spending the money on receiving the flu vaccine (for a couple of years) than to focus on the HPV vaccine given the balance of risks of benefits for each.
I think it's a good idea for males to get the vaccine too. I wouldn't want warts on my genitals even if it didn't cause cancer. Plus, wouldn't help stop the spread of HPV?
That said, the "controversy" over Gardisil is enraging. First of all, being vaccinated against a virus that could cause cancer that could potentially kill you is never a bad thing. So what if you can catch it through sex? I'm so glad I was raised in a family that was realistic about the fact I was going to have sex someday and didn't shame me for it. I don't remember such controversy over the Hep B vaccine. You can get that from sex too!