Vaccine for Men and Women
HPV Vaccine Should Be Given To Men And Women, Says Expert
The new HPV vaccine, Gardasil, should be given to both men and women and boys and girls, regardless of individual risk factors, says Dr. Bradley Monk, University of California at Irvine. Merck and Co's Gardasil protects people from four types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are responsible for the majority of cancers of the cervix.
In June this year Gardasil was approved by the FDA as a vaccine for girls and women.
Dr. Monk, a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel said "we need to move toward a paradigm where this is a universal vaccine." You can read about his comments in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Monk said that as males can pass the infection on to women, who then go on to develop cancer of the cervix, it makes sense to give the shot to boys as well. The vaccine also protects from genital warts.
Many parents believe that whether a child has the vaccine should be decided by parents, rather than schools making it compulsory.
When asked whether the vaccine might encourage people to become more sexually active at a younger age, Monk compared to the relationship between wearing a seat belt and safe driving. If you have to wear a seat belt in a car you do not automatically start driving more recklessly.
About 300,000 women die each year globally from cancer of the cervix. This vaccine could save the lives of 70% of them.
