According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the vast majority of a number of cancers are attributed to HPV. For girls, these include cancer of the cervix or anus (over 90%), vagina and throat (over 75%). Boys are also just as susceptible to anal and throat cancers, plus HPV causes nearly two thirds of cancers of the penis. HPV is also linked with nearly 100% of genital warts—an equal opportunity STD.
The HPV vaccine (Gardasil) has been proven to be extremely effective in preventing all of these conditions in boys as well as girls. The FDA just approved a new version of Gardasil. The old one protected against four strains of HPV. The new one, Gardasil 9, may prevent nearly 100% of genital warts, 90% of cervical, vaginal, and anal cancers, and a majority of other HPV-linked cancers.
But the FDA’s most recent clinical trials excluded boys completely, and, while pediatricians are routinely recommending the HPV vaccine to their young female patients (as young as 9), far too many aren’t making the same offer to their young male patients.
MHN advisor Armin Brott recently addressed these issues in one of his Ask Mr. Dad columns. Read it here.
