health
HPV vaccine recommended for boys
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 7, 2011
Physicians should administer three doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine to boys ages 11 and 12 to prevent HPV infection and reduce transmission of the virus to females, according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The vaccine can be given to males as young as 9 and as old as 21. The committee said the immunization is most effective when it is administered before an individual is exposed to the virus, which occurs through sexual contact.
The committee made the decision Oct. 25 following a review of recent data that show the quadrivalent HPV vaccine to be effective in preventing HPV infection and related disease among males.
Each year in the U.S., about 18,000 HPV-associated cancers affect women and an estimated 7,000 such cancers affect men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/11/07/hlbf1107.htm.