Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a pathogen that is sexually transmitted. The HPV virus can cause infections upon entering a cell. The resulting infections can cause anogenital and oropharyngeal disease in males and females. Persistent viral infection with high-risk HPV genotypes can result in cervical cancer. Cancer is fatal, while genital warts can be surgically removed (Kroger,2018). Vaccines have been developed to protect people against the acquisition of HPV infection. The best way to protect individuals from possible infection caused by the virus is by administering the HPV vaccine.
There are three different vaccines available that protect against the acquisition of HPV infection. These three vaccines vary in the number of HPV types they contain and target, and they are quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil), 9-valent vaccine (Gardasil 9), and bivalent vaccine (cervix) (Harder, Wichmann, Klug, Van der Sande, and Wiese-Posselt, 2018). The quadrivalent vaccine vaccinates against HPV types 6, 11, 18, and 18 (Harder et. al., 2018). The 9-valent vaccine vaccinates against HPV types 6, 11, 16, 1, 31, 3, 45, 52, and 58 while the bivalent vaccine vaccinates against HPV types 16 and 18 (Harder et al., 2018). However, some of these vaccines are not locally available. For instance, in the United States, only the 9-valent vaccine is available. The vaccines are not therapeutic neither do they prevent the progression of any disease as a result of the virus.
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The HPV vaccine is usually administered to young people at the ages of 11 or 12 (Harder et al., 2018). However, the vaccine can be administered, starting from age 9 to 26 years ( HPV Vaccination , 2013). The vaccine is most effective when administered to a person before engaging in sexual activity or before the virus has infected him. However, the vaccine can still be effective even if those conditions are not met. For instance, HPV can still be administered to someone who has been infected with the virus because it may protect the person from contracting a different type of HPV. Therefore, to avoid any risks, people should be vaccinated at the appropriate times.
HPV is administered to boys and girls in a series of shots. Those who fail to complete the vaccination can still be given the subsequent shots so long as they have not attained the age of 26. The vaccines are administered in three doses within six months (Goodman, 2018). Safety and precautionary measures should also be considered during vaccination. Moreover, practitioners who have experienced allergies from previous vaccination should not be vaccinated again. The vaccine can be delivered to schools, health facilities, and outreach events or through integration services.
Studies indicate that the HPV vaccine provides long-lasting protection. Numerous studies have followed people who receive HPV vaccine for years, and the studies have shown the potential benefits of HPV vaccination. One study done by Taira and Sanders (2003) suggested that vaccination of the entire America population of 12-year old girls with HPV vaccine would prevent more than 200,000 HPV infections. Taira and Sanders also suggested that the HPV vaccine can prevent more than 100,000 abnormal cervical cancer if the entire population of 12-year old girls in the United States are vaccinated against the HPV virus.
According to research done by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV vaccines cut cervical cancer rates. The researchers analyzed specimens from 18 to 39 years old who were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) (Stephens, 2019). After collecting the specimen, the researchers tested them for 37 HPV strains. From the study, the researchers found that rates of HPV-positive CIN2+ fell from 52.7% in 200 to 44.1% in 2014 (Stephens, 2019). The number of cases also decline from 2344 in 2008 to 157 in 2014. The study also showed a significant decline in the rates of CIN2+ among vaccinated women as it fell from 55.2% to 33.3% during the same time span (Stephens, 2019).
Palmer (2019) also conducted a retrospective population study, where he investigated the prevalence of the cervical disease. The participants of the study were women (138,692) born between January 1988 and June 1996. The participants of the study were composed of women who had a smear test result recorded at age 20. The study showed that HPV vaccines are effective in preventing cervical diseases. Vaccinated women born in 1995 and 1996 showed an 89 percent reduction in prevalent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia when compared with unvaccinated women born in 1988. Thus, routine vaccination of women or girls aged 12 to 13 years with HPV vaccines can lead to a significant reduction in preinvasive cervical disease.
The HPV vaccination is also effective in preventing cervical cancer in older women, but it is not as effective as in younger females. Numerous studies done by different researchers have proved this. In one study, Cox and Palefsky (2019) studied the vaccine efficacy in older women. Cox and Palefsky randomly assigned 5752 women older than 25 years of bivalent vaccine or placebo. After administering the vaccine, the researchers followed the older women for a mean of 84 months. The researchers found that the vaccine efficacy for the combined endpoint was 22% overall. The older women who had no prior history of HPV infection were given three doses the vaccine, and after follow the vaccine efficacy was found to be 91%. Overall, all the study done on the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine indicates that that the vaccine is effective in preventing HPV infections.
Since the vaccine has been in use, HPV infections, as well as cervical precancers, have dropped drastically. According to the CDC (2019), HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped by 86% among teens girls and 71% percent among young adult women. According to CDC (2019), HPV vaccine provides long-lasting protection as follow up studies that have done for about 10 years indicate that protection remains high among those individuals who are vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.
HPV vaccination also provides a direct benefit to male recipients as it can help prevent anal, oropharyngeal, and penile cancers. HPV types 16 and 18 cause 90 percent of these cancers, while 90 percent of anogenital cancers are caused by HPV types 6 and 11. Vaccination with 9-valent or quadrivalent vaccines can protect against these types of cancers. According to a systematic review done by Harder et al. (2018), the HPV vaccine is safe and effective in males. Harder et al. conducted a systematic review of 5196 articles ad seven studies, comprising a total of 5294 participants. From their research, Harder et al. found the vaccine efficacy against at least 6-month persisting anogenital HPV 16 infections to be 46.9 percent. (Confidence Interval (CI)=95 percent). However, when compared to women, the overall burden of HPV-associated cancers among men is less.
To sum up, many studies indicate that HPV vaccination is safe and effective in preventing HPV infection. The protection provided by the vaccine is long-lasting. This is because numerous studies have followed people who receive HPV vaccine for several or even a decade, and protection has remained high in those individuals. The studies have documented that the HPV vaccine can reduce cases and rates of anogenital and oropharyngeal disease in males and females. It can also reduce the instances and rates of cervical cancer in women.
References
CDC. (2019). HPV vaccine safety. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccinesafety.html. Accessed 22 nd September 2019 .
Cox, J., & Palefsky, M. (2019). Human papillomavirus vaccination. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/human-papillomavirus-vaccination#H812147299 . Accessed 22 nd September 2019.
Goodman, T. (2018). Update on HPV Vaccine Introduction and Programmatic Perspectives [Ebook]. Geneva.
Harder, T., Wichmann, O., Klug, S., Van der Sande, M., & Wiese-Posselt, M. (2018). Efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of vaccination against human papillomavirus in males: A systematic review. BMC Medicine, Vol. 16 (110).
Kroger, A. (2018). Human Papillomavirus- 2018 . Centre for Disease Control.
Palmer, T. (2019). Prevalence of cervical disease at age 20 after immunization with bivalent HPV vaccine at age 12-13 in Scotland: Retrospective population study. BMJ, 2019; 356:I1161.
Sanders, G., & Taira, A. (2003). Cost-effectiveness of a potential vaccine for human papillomavirus. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 9 (1); 37-48.
Stephens, W. (2019). HPV vaccines cut cervical cancer rates, study shows. American Journal of Managed Care. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/hpv-vaccination-safeguarding-against-cervical-cancer . Accessed 22 nd September 2019.
World Health Organization. (2013). HPV Vaccination [Ebook].
