CDC Grand Rounds: Reducing the Burden of HPV-Associated Cancer and Disease

This report discusses use of vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It explains that HPV is the most common STD in the United States and that the high risk types of HPV cause cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis and anus as well as oropharyngeal cancers, while low risk HPV causes anogenital warts and warts in the throat and airway. Two types of HPV vaccine are licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends girls and boys be routinely vaccinated against HPV at age 11 or 12 years, and to age 26 for females and 21 for males who did not receive the vaccine when they were younger. ACIP also recommends the vaccine for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men through age 26. Since vaccine coverage is below the Healthy People 2020 targets, the report focuses on the need to increase adolescent HPV vaccination in the United States. The report suggests an integrated approach including clinical medicine, public health, and public policy to reduce the burden of HPV-associated cancer and disease.