A new study published in Viral Immunology has sparked a debate on whether the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination should be given to men.
The review – available at http://www.liebertpub.com/vim – was conducted by Gorren Low and colleagues from University of Southern California and David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.
The researchers assessed how cost effective it is to expand routine HPV vaccination to include young males as well as the potential for reducing illness caused by HPV infection.
Both men and women can become infected by HPV, transmit the virus, and develop genital warts. Education, marketing and immunization campaigns have primarily focused on reducing the risk of cervical cancer in women. However, researchers are now wondering whether or not to put more effort into encouraging young males to receive the vaccination.
David L. Woodland, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of Viral Immunology and Chief Scientific Office, Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, explained:
“The authors have dissected the public health, social, ethical, marketing, and economic implications of including of males in HPV vaccination programs. The data reviewed in this superb paper will be of considerable interest for public health professionals, vaccine researchers, and physicians alike.”
Written by Grace Rattue