Prevalence of human papillomavirus in young men who have sex with men after the implementation of gender-neutral HPV vaccination: a repeated cross-sectional study
This Australian study (n=400) found a reduction in anal, penile, and oral quadrivalent vaccine-targeted genotypes occur in young men who have sex with men, 7% post-vaccination vs 28% pre-vaccination (adjusted Prevalence Ratio 0.24, 95% CI 0.14–0.42).
Source:
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
SPS commentary:
Commentary on this article discusses the introduction of the vaccination 15 years ago for preadolescent girls only, the high risk of malignancies caused by the virus, herd-immunity decreasing the virus rates in boys, though men who have sex with men (MSM) do not benefit from this herd immunity. It notes the authors did not find cross-protection against nonvaccine-targeted HPV genotypes, but that might not have been expected, as the quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil) in general has shown less cross-protection than the bivalent vaccine (Cervarix). It suggests the importance in the upcoming decades to learn not only the full effect of gender-neutral HPV vaccination on the incidence of anal malignancies in MSM, but also whether and how high vaccination uptake can be maintained.