Pharmacy Daily | HPV Vaccination

Did you know that most sexually active men and women are exposed to the human papillomavirus (HPV) and experience transient, asymptomatic infections? There are about 40 different types of HPV that affect the anogenital region and some can cause genital warts. Other HPV types, if they cause persistent infections, can result in cancers such as cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile and some oropharyngeal cancers. Australia has led the world with its National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program which targets females. This program uses an HPV vaccine aimed to protect against HPV types 6 and 11 which causes 90% t of genital warts as well as HPV types 16 and 18 which causes about 70% of cervical cancers and also other HPV related cancers. It is too early to show the complete impact of the vaccination program on HPV related disease and cancer. There has been a dramatic reduction in the incidence of genital warts in the targeted female vaccination population as well as a smaller but significant reduction in the incidence of genital warts in heterosexual men. This latter effect is thought to be due to herd immunity. With no effect of the vaccination program on genital warts in men who have sex with men (MSM) and anal cancer increasing in this population, HPV vaccination of males is worthy of consideration. This week’s contributor is Dr Hilary Bower MBBS FRACGP, a Medical Officer at Family Planning NSW and Project Officer for the ‘Cervical Screening Up-skilling Workshops for GPs’.

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