About 40 types of HPV are passed on through sexual contact. The virus can be spread through skin-to-skin contact that doesn’t involve penetrative sex. Condoms will not necessarily fully protect people from coming into contact with it. Also Read: Anal Pap smear for men
What you need to know about Gardasil 9 HPV Vaccine and HPV in Men who have sex with Men
What is Human papillomavirus (HPV)?
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is not one virus, but a family of about 200 different strains that cause common warts, genital warts and some cancers.
Sexually active adults mostly acquire at least one variety of HPV and it’s a near-universal infection in people with HIV. Even people with a one-lifetime partner can get HPV if their partner has it.
About 40 types of HPV are passed on through sexual contact. The virus can be spread through skin-to-skin contact that doesn’t involve penetrative sex. Condoms will not necessarily fully protect people from coming into contact with it.
For most people, HPV will not cause any harm. Only some varieties of HPV can cause cancer and even if you do come in contact with these strains, the chances of developing cancer are very small.
However, some people do not clear the virus from their bodies, and this can cause:
- Genital warts on the penis and anus. It is also possible to have these types of warts on the lips and in the mouth.
- Cancer of the anus, penis and oropharynx (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils).
Although some other strains of HPV are associated with cancers, two main strains of HPV – HPV 16 and HPV 18 – cause 70% of cervical cancers in women and over 80% of anal cancers worldwide.
It is estimated that HPV is responsible for about 5% of cancers worldwide. However, anal cancer is one of the most common cancers for people living with HIV.
Learn more about Rapid HPV Testing (Next Day Result)
HPV & Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)
Every year anal cancer is diagnosed in about two people per 100,000 in the general population.
Men who have sex with men are about 20 times more likely than heterosexual men to develop anal cancer, and men-who-have-sex-with-men who are living with HIV are even more likely (up to 100 times more than the general community).
What is the new Gardasil 9 (HPV Vaccine)?
GARDASIL 9 is a vaccine (injection/shot) given to individuals 9 through 26 years of age to help protect against diseases caused by some types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
In boys and men 9 through 26 years of age, GARDASIL 9 helps protect against:
- Anal cancer
- Precancerous anal lesions
- Genital warts – Penile warts, Anal Warts and other areas
These diseases have many causes. Most of the time, these diseases are caused by nine types of HPV: HPV Types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. GARDASIL 9 protects against diseases caused by these nine types of HPV.
What is the difference between Gardasil and new Gardasil 9?
Gardasil only covers 4 strains of HPV: 6, 11, 16, 18.
Gardasil 9 covers that and 5 more strains, 31,33,45,52.
|Cervical cancer cases||70%||90%|
|High-grade cervical lesions||50%||75-85%|
|Low-grade cervical lesions||30-35%||50-60%|
|HPV-related vulvar cancer cases||70-75%||85-90%|
|HPV-related vaginal cancer cases||65%||80-85%|
|HPV-related anal cancers||85-90%||90-95%|
|Genital wart cases||90%||90%|
As you can see, Gardasil 9 has a broader HPV coverage compared to Gardasil.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)
1.) Can I get Gardasil 9 if I am above 26 years old?
Gardasil 9 in Singapore is indicated for boys and men from ages 9 to 26. That does NOT mean that men above the age of 26 years cannot get the vaccine.
If you are above 26 years old, the best thing to do is to have a discussion with our doctor about the pros and cons of the vaccine then make a decision on whether or not you will benefit from it.
2.) Can I get Gardasil 9 even if I have had genital warts?
There are 200 different strains of HPV. Even if you have been infected with 1 strain, the vaccine can help protect you against other strains.
Also, there is data to show that people who have received treatment for HPV related cancers and had the HPV vaccine were less likely to get recurrences of their cancers.
So even if you have had or currently have genital warts, you should still have a frank conversation with our doctor about how Gardasil 9 can benefit you.
3.) Can I get Gardasil 9 even though I have already had the older version of Gardasil?
Yes, you certainly can. Scientific data has proven that it is absolutely safe to receive the full dose of Gardasil 9 even though you have already completed the vaccination using the older version of Gardasil.
If you have any concern about HPV infection treatment or you are interested in getting HPV vaccination, please contact us for more information.
Gardasil 9 vaccination is avilable in all our clinics in Malaysia and Singapore.
You can call any of our clinics or email us at firstname.lastname@example.org for an appointment.