Researchers Find HPV In Men's Fingernails, Could Factor In Vaccine Distribution Debate, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reports

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 06 Aug 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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Laura Koutsky, a University of Washington epidemiologist, and colleagues have identified traces of the human papillomavirus under the fingernails of young men, a finding that could "throw a monkey wrench" in the debate over a distribution of HPV vaccines, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. According to the Post-Intelligencer, HPV is primarily a sexually transmitted infection, and some opponents of mandating HPV vaccines for girls have said such regulations could send a message that "sex at a young age is acceptable behavior" (Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/31).

Earlier this year, 24 states and Washington, D.C., considered proposals to mandate HPV vaccination for middle-school age girls, but Virginia is the only state to have passed such a measure. Debate over the measures involved issues including teenage sex, parental control and state mandates, as well as concerns about long-term health effects of the vaccine and pharmaceutical company lobbying (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/21). According to Lauri Markowitz, a CDC expert on HPV, more than 40 states have enacted legislation encouraging wider use of HPV vaccines.

Koutsky, who led some clinical trials and research that led to the development of Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil, said the presence of HPV in fingernails suggests that the virus might have another transmission route. She added the results could help explain why HPV infection has been found in infants and young girls who had not become sexually active. However, Koutsky said there is no evidence that HPV can be contracted through contact such as a handshake.

According to the Post-Intelligencer, Koutsky's findings could "give pause to those arguing" against an HPV vaccine from a "moral" perspective. "Basically, it's not just about sex," Koutsky said, adding, "You have to know how people [contract HPV] in order to prevent it." She also said that at some point it will become evident that boys and young men also should be vaccinated against the virus (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/31).

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