Originally published February 9, 2010 at midnight, updated February 9, 2010 at 3:46 p.m.
With the recent release of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for men, all students should consider the responsible option of getting vaccinated to protect themselves and their sexual partners from the dangerous disease.
The creation of a HPV vaccine for men emphasizes that women are not the only ones who should be concerned with seeking protection from the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of sexually active men and women get HPV at some point in their lives.
Generally, it is assumed that sexual liability rests with the woman. This is not the case. People infected with HPV rarely experience symptoms. The lack of symptoms means there is an increased risk of passing it on to a partner, because many don’t know they have the disease.
Although symptoms can be minimal, men are still at risk for getting genital warts, penile cancer, anal cancer and cancer of the throat. Women run a high risk of developing cancers of the cervix, vagina or vulva.
Dr. Robert Brown, a physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said he frequently has men come in who have bumps that turn out to be genital warts. At times the warts can be pronounced and hard to get rid of. The vaccine is a good way to prevent this prevalent problem.
Men should be as equally concerned about contracting and spreading HPV as women are. Getting vaccinated is something men should consider doing to protect themselves and any future sexual partners from contracting a disease.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Gardasil vaccine for men last year, but the vaccination has been on the market for women since 2006. Gardasil is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against four types of HPV. Two of the types cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Two more types cause 90 percent of genital wart cases.
Now that this type of defense is available for anyone on campus, it is another opportunity for students to practice safer sex.
Men and women need to research this vaccine to decide if it is worthwhile for them.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, approximately 60 percent of female students will become infected with HPV while in college. These statistics should be as scary for men as they are for women; the “60 percent of female students” could include the woman with whom you are having sex.
It is important to be as responsible as your sexual partner, and this vaccine provides that chance. It takes two to tango, but women and men should both take the lead.
— Stefanie Penn for The Editorial Board
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Comments
Editorial: Shared responsibility a must in sexual relationships
Glad to see this article about shared responsibility. However, I strongly caution your endorsement of the Gardasil vaccine. HPV is a virus that passes through 90% of women's body's in 2 years. Keep your immune system strong and chances are you will be fine. There have now been over 19,000 reported adverse reactions to the vaccine - more than there are cases of cervical cancer. There have also been 60 reported deaths to VAERS with an estimated 1 to 10% reporting. And other deaths and adverse reactions are coming in from around the world. Men are starting to report post-vaccine problems too.
Students should also be aware that studies say that HPV is prevalent in over 50% of new relationships. FDA documents say that if a girl already has HPV and gets the vaccine her chances of getting cervical cancer increase by 44.6%. Indeed, two years post Gardasil, girls are having abnormal pap smears with cervical lesions and cervical cancer. Be sure and educate before you vaccinate.
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