HPV vaccine prevent penile infections in young gay men

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base

A US cross-sectional study from 2016 to 2018 comparing penile swab samples in 687 gay men and transgender women aged 18 to 26 found similar rates of HPV overall in the roughly half who had been vaccinated vs those with no recorded vaccine: 12% vs 15% respectively (aPR 0.69, 95%CI: 0.47 to 1.01).

However, prevalence to the four strains in the quadrivalent vaccine was significantly reduced by 85% in those who had been vaccinated when younger than 18 years (aPR=0.15, 95%CI: 0.04 to 0.62).

This doesn’t mean there are not additional benefits from those vaccinated later, but does show the benefits or earlier vaccination.

Reference

Winer RL et al. Effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination against Penile HPV infection in men who have sex with men and transgender Women. Journal of Infectious Diseases, jiab390. DOI:10.1093/infdis/jiab390. (28 July 2021).
https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab390

This article was first posted on 1 August 2921.