9 ms·

Denmark close to wiping out cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out

968 points by slu 1y ago

gigatexal 1y ago
[flagged]
- mkfs 1y ago
  I'm not a woman, but I wonder how necessary pap smears (one of the most invasive procedures to which women are routinely subjected) are if everyone's vaccinated against HPV? https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screening-tests-often-overused-study-finds https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin...
  - giantg2 1y ago
    It looks like your sibling post has a link from WHO showing screening will be a continued effort.
  - ejstronge 1y ago
    > I'm not a woman, but I wonder how necessary pap smears (one of them most invasive procedures to which women are subjected) are if everyone's vaccinated against HPV? https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin... It will continue to be necessary because there are more strains of HPV than those that are targeted by vaccines. The way this article is broken into sections is a bit misleading - the recommendation for cervical cancer hasn't been annual screening for a long time. This is acknowledged in the text, but even there is unclear.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  There are people who will do the right thing, there will be people who you can teach to do the right thing, and there will be people who will ignore you no matter what. Optimize for the first two. "Pick better parents" is unfortunately unactionable advice. Australia has almost eradicated cervical cancer through HPV vaccination efforts, other countries will get there as a function of uptake and cohort replacement. There is a recently developed blood test that can detect the biomarkers from HPV related cancers years before they would traditionally be diagnosed, but prevention via vaccination remains key. https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2023-global-partners-cheer-progress-towards-eliminating-cervical-cancer-and-underline-challenges https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2023-global-partners-che... https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30183-X/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV_vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV_vaccine https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jnci/djaf249/8248381 https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/1... | https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf249 https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf249
  - gigatexal 1y ago
    Shaming the current administration and pointing out their lies until we are out of breath is still a worthwhile endeavor. In this age of social media a good gotcha that goes viral can tank an election. With the midterms coming up in a year I’m hopeful.
inglor_cz 1y ago
Good news. Bad news is that many countries came close to wiping out measles et al. too, but it takes sustained effort to keep things like that.
- giantg2 1y ago
  Unlike the measles, HPV is not a good eradication candidate due to the existence of non-human reservoirs.
  - AnimalMuppet 1y ago
    I think you said that backwards. HPV does not have non-human reservoirs, per Wikipedia. (Do you have evidence that it's wrong?)
    - giantg2 1y ago
      Ah, looks like I might have read the paper wrong. It's theorized that some HPV strains could also be carried by non-human primates.
    - russdill 1y ago
      Hence the "H"
      - serial_dev 1y ago
        Although you are (as I understand) right, the question itself is valid, lots of diseases spread to species other than the one that is in the name… Chickenpox, monkeypox, swine flu, or even the Spanish flu.
        russdill 1y ago
        Lots of diseases are potentially zoonotic. When diseases have animals in the name, it often just refers to zoonosis itself (except of course chickenpox). But when diseases or parasites have human in there name, it's almost always because it's a disease that only effects humans.
blindriver 1y ago
The goal wasn't to eliminate the HPV strains, it was to decrease cervical cancer. Has Denmark encountered a drop in cervical cancer? If so, that's a great outcome!
- sjsdaiuasgdia 1y ago
  This seems to have some data that suggests they have seen a decline: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.35081 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.35081 There's a chart about 2/3 down the page that shows a drop in several age groups, and a particularly striking drop in the 20-29 age group: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/fd3e820c-4610-4c4e-8eaa-63944d250d51/ijc35081-fig-0003-m.jpg https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/fd3e820c-4610-4c4e...
- justin66 1y ago
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  - LorenPechtel 1y ago
    Why is this getting downvoted? It's obviously humor!
    - simongr3dal 1y ago
      Because HN is not really a forum geared towards sarcastic quips unless they are extraordinarily funny.
    - Bjartr 1y ago
      More importantly, it does not add to the conversation. If humor alone is what you want, head to Reddit. Humor is welcome here, but it needs to have some substance behind it.
      - justin66 1y ago
        Unlike the three comments above, my bad joke distracted from the thrust of the conversation. Ahem.
YeahThisIsMe 1y ago
And I can't get the shot in Germany because I'm "too old" and just assumed to be infected with it already, anyway. What a great system.
- n1b0m 1y ago
  Can you pay for it?
  - bartman 1y ago
    Generally yes. I asked my primary care physician and would have been able to get the vaccine dose from the pharmacy (paying for it myself) and she would have administered it.
  - riggsdk 1y ago
    In Denmark you can. I was in my mid thirties when I went to my doctor to ask them to prescribe it. Before each shot I would go to the pharmacy and buy one dose and go to the doctor to have them administer it for me (if I wanted to). At that time I think it was free for teenage girls, now it's free for teenage boys as well.
    - Fomite 1y ago
      The evolution of who gets HPV vaccines is really interesting. At first it was young women, as vaccinating young men had a very marginal decrease in cervical cancer rates via indirect protection (which itself is a function of how many young women are vaccinated). Then as HPV infection was linked to more cancers, vaccinating young men crossed the cost-effectiveness thresholds many governments use. Vaccinating older populations is similarly just a less clear-cut case, but it's a cost-effectiveness argument, not one purely driven by if the vaccine offers protection.
      - respondo2134 1y ago
        it's not just the cost of the vaccine roll-out though, you need test on your target demo and since these are healthy people the bar is very high. If the demographic (like males over 45) shows very little involvement in the infection vectors then testing might fail the cost-effectiveness, not the delivery of the vaccine.
everdrive 1y ago
Does the vaccine benefit you if you've already been infected?
- giantg2 1y ago
  I've heard of it being administered post exposure as a way to help the body fight the existing infection. Seemed a little odd when I first heard it as HPV should clear on it's own.
  - Fomite 1y ago
    The key is you want it to clear as quickly as possible.
- abirch 1y ago
  There are multiple strains of HPV and most people haven't been infected with all of the strains. from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/by_the_way_doctor_should_i_get_the_hpv_vaccine_if_im_already_infected https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/by_th...
  - mrheosuper 1y ago
    Does the vaccine work against all strains ?
    - epistasis 1y ago
      It has only been targeted against the strains known to cause cancer. I haven't looked but I would guess getting all strains would have been a greater challenge, and would not have greatly increased uptake of the vaccine. The false perception that it's a vaccine that will encourages unprotected sex has already greatly hindered adoption in the US.
    - Fomite 1y ago
      No, it's targeted against those most associated with cancer.
NooneAtAll3 1y ago
Cervical cancer (uterus), not skin cancer from a bad papillomas as I thought after looking up what HPV meant
- mitb6 1y ago
  Also throat, mouth, tongue, anal and penile cancers.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - astura 1y ago
    Add in anal cancer too
- tialaramex 1y ago
  It turns out a human body has a lot of surfaces facing the "outside" in some sense and we forget about the parts we can't see. Most of this surface is not covered in what we'd conventionally consider skin. It's bit like if you were looking at surfaces in a house and forgot the walls and ceiling.
  - Fomite 1y ago
    Humans (and most animals) are just tubes with extra bits.
pm90 1y ago
If you're living in the US: please consider getting the vaccine, ragardless of your age. It was covered by my (rather shitty) health insurance. It consists of just 2 (EDIT: 3 for adults!) doses. It is recommended for both Males and Females.
- justin66 1y ago
  > It consists of just 2 doses. Wasn't it 3 doses before?
  - pm90 1y ago
    you're right its 3, updated message
- baldr333 1y ago
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- abeppu 1y ago
  ... did you finish the series? I think for adults it should be 3 doses. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/administration.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/administration.html
- DaSHacka 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - simmerup 1y ago
    Enjoy your warts
    - edgineer 1y ago
      Restrict your partners to Danes and you are unlikely to contract it.
    - DaSHacka 1y ago
      [flagged]
perihelions 1y ago
By way of contrast, America's current top "doctor" organized a class-action lawsuit against the HPV vaccine. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedy-played-key-role-vaccine-case-against-merck-2025-01-18/ https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/... ("Kennedy played key role in Gardasil vaccine case against Merck") > "Details of the Gardasil litigation show how Kennedy took action beyond sowing doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines in the court of public opinion and helped build a case against the pharmaceutical industry before judges and juries." > "Kennedy, a longtime plaintiffs' lawyer, became involved in the Gardasil litigation in 2018 in collaboration with Robert Krakow, an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases, Krakow said"
- etchalon 1y ago
  We have the first leaders.
- api 1y ago
  It's okay, he'll have us treat cervical cancer with a juice cleanse and vibes.
  - ryandrake 1y ago
    Don't forget prayer--the ultimate solution to everything!
  - antonvs 1y ago
    Also the juice is whale juice.
- unethical_ban 1y ago
  I remember this being a big controversy in Texas in the 2000s. Our Republican governor, forcing girls to get the vaccine! What does he think Texan girls are, lusty? Not like disease prevention is a universally good thing and some people tend to have sex. At the end of the day, religious radicals like STDs because it enforces their worldview that having multiple sexual partners in a lifetime is a sin.
boxerab 1y ago
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- vhcr 1y ago
  > Is there a net positive benefit to this shot? Yes https://ourworldindata.org/hpv-vaccination-world-can-eliminate-cervical-cancer https://ourworldindata.org/hpv-vaccination-world-can-elimina...
  - boxerab 1y ago
    Doesn't answer the question. Other vaccines, for example DTP, have been shown to cause higher long term mortality rate over those who didn't get it. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000707 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000707
    - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
      > Other vaccines, for example DTP, have been shown to cause higher long term mortality rate Sure. This one hasn’t. That said, I frankly think people should be free to vaccinate as they please, and cities, states and private businesses free to include and exclude folks based on vaccination status as they please. (I’m also in favor of letting insurance companies choose if they want to cover diseases someone chose to get by going unvaccinated.)
      - analog8374 1y ago
        Agreed. We could decide it over Facebook. Who is allowed to buy food etc. That would be democratic and efficient.
      - boxerab 1y ago
        > Sure. This one hasn’t. That is exactly why we need to apply the precautionary principle for new drugs like this one. > That said, I frankly think people should be free to vaccinate as they please Never said they shouldn't be. Just need to be skeptical of organizations like GAVI and their PR, as they have a huge conflict of interest in promoting and profiting from these drugs.
nixosbestos 1y ago
I remember arguing in favor of Gardasil as a teenager in highschool. And now RFK Jr calling it dangerous. Someday my head might just explode.
Animats 1y ago
Good to hear what's happening in the more advanced countries.
- oulipo2 1y ago
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- dmix 1y ago
  RFK Jr may be a bit biased, his opposition has been profitable > Kennedy for years has earned referral fees from Wisner Baum, a Los Angeles personal injury law firm that is currently suing Merck, alleging the pharmaceutical giant failed to properly warn the public about risks from its vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, according to financial disclosure documents filed by Kennedy with the Office of Government Ethics. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-confirmation-robert-f-kennedy-merck/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-confirmation-robert-f-ke...
  - MRson 1y ago
    Remember to look for critical takes. I encourage you to look at stuff like this with an open mind, and if you disagree with anything, look into the details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqI_z1OcenQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqI_z1OcenQ
huflungdung 1y ago
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syntaxing 1y ago
Wasn’t this also the same conclusion for Australia? Cervical cancer plummeted to record rates. Men should still get it so they don’t effect their partners and HPV causes all sort of cancer too.
- femto 1y ago
  Australia rolled out the HPV vaccine for girls in 2007. Boys were included in the program in 2013. Modelling says that "elimination" depends on both the vaccine and a screening program [3]. [1] https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/news/australian-success-story-hpv-vaccine/ https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/news/australian-success-sto... [2] https://www.ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-07/HPV%20Factsheet_July%202022%20update_Final.pdf https://www.ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-07/HPV%20F... [3] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667%2818%2930183-X/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2...
- epistasis 1y ago
  Yes, Michael Douglas had a throat cancer he said was from "oral sex" meaning HPV infection, and I remember social media berating him for saying that as if it were impossible, but it really is. Random anecdote: with whole genome sequencing, which is fairly common among the rich with cancer, you can sometimes find the exact cancer driving genes that the HPV has amplified. I remember looking at one case where the HER2 gene was amplified with many copies, and you could see it attached to chunks of HPV genome. Fortunately there's now many drugs that specifically target amplified HER2, originally developed only for breast cancer, where there are diagnostic test to find the subset of breast cancers with the amplification.
duffpkg 1y ago
This article headline is a gross abuse of the conclusions of the actual study which is here: https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.27.2400820 https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.E... This site is full of people perfectly capable of reading most studies. I would much rather see these links go to studies than endless clickbait articles about studies. The conclusion of the study show that about 30% of the women in the study from 2017-2014 tested positive for one of several types of HPV infection. This does appear to be a reduction from an earlier 2013 study but the earlier study was by different authors with different methodology so gauging the scale of the reduction is not straightforward. My opinion is that a safe conclusion of the study is that HPV prevalence has not increased.
- amluto 1y ago
  That link says: > What have we learnt from this study? > Infection with HPV types covered by the vaccine (HPV16/18) has been almost eliminated. Before vaccination, the prevalence of HPV16/18 was between 15–17%, which has decreased in vaccinated women to < 1% by 2021. However, about one-third of women still had HPV infection with non-vaccine high-risk HPV types, and new infections with these types were more frequent in vaccinated than in unvaccinated women. The conclusion seems to be that the vaccine is extremely effective at preventing infection by the strains included in the vaccine. One might reach a stretch conclusion and infer that the 9-valent vaccine would be even better as it would (probably) dramatically reduce the risk of several of the remaining “high-risk” variants.
- atombender 1y ago
  > about 30% of the women in the study from 2017-2014 tested positive for one of several types of HPV infection. That number was referring to different strains not covered by the vaccine. The study says the rate of infection dropped to less than 1% among those strains the vaccine protects against.
- pitpatagain 1y ago
  The study is linked early in the article and is fairly dense, the article summarized it well and is a lot more readable. 16/18 are the most carcinogenic strains, they have been close to eradicated in Denmark. "Denmark close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out" is the full headline and 100% accurate. Those were the only two high risk strains covered by the vaccine used in the time frame studied. The study covers the first cohort of girls given the 2008 version of the vaccine when they recently reached age to start screening. It is expected to not see other strains affected in this study, even though current vaccines are broader. The total number of high risk HPV cases in the study went down post-vaccination. The notion of numbered strains of HPV is about diverging lineages going back hundreds of thousands of years in a highly conserved, slowly mutating virus. They are not comparable to things like seasonal COVID or flu strains.
0xTJ 1y ago
That's great to hear! Here where I am, Ontario, Canada, I just barely missed out on getting the HPV vaccine for free in high school. At the time, they were only vaccinating girls, but added boys a year or two after me.
- hylaride 1y ago
  Check your (or your parent's) drug coverage insurance. You may be covered (mine is under the drug name gardasil).
deadbabe 1y ago
It’s insane to think that someday humanity will finally find a cure for cancer, and then after all this money and research and struggle people will just… choose not to use it.
- thfuran 1y ago
  There will never be a single cure to all cancers. Different cancers have different underlying mechanisms and affect different tissues.
  - whycome 1y ago
    Maybe. The fact that some animals are especially immune to cancers suggest there are ways to prevent the outcome (cell replication/mutation).
    - fluoridation 1y ago
      Are they immune to cancer, or do they simply not live long enough to develop them? AFAIK, only plants are immune to cancer.
      - actionfromafar 1y ago
        Elephants and naked mole rats. https://www.sciencealert.com/these-animals-can-t-get-cancer-and-scientists-think-they-could-hold-a-cure https://www.sciencealert.com/these-animals-can-t-get-cancer-...
      - hidroto 1y ago
        These might not technically be cancers but the similarity is there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl
  - somenameforme 1y ago
    I think this is untrue. All work by uncontrolled replication of cells. This is why nanotechnology had the promise of being able to eliminate cancer - imagine a nano scale robot regularly cycling through your body on occasion, looking for and eliminating cancerous growths. Drugs, though, probably have very limited potential.
uvas_pasas_per 1y ago
Is there a test to see if you have the virus already? So I know whether I should take the vaccine.
shirro 1y ago
Good stuff. Australia has a target for eliminating cervical cancer by 2035 and ofcourse HPV is responsible for a large proportion of penile, mouth, throat and anal cancers as well. All my kids got free vaccinations at school. It is shocking that there are still places in the world where this is controversial. You can tell a lot about the qualities of a society by the way they care for their own.
- illiac786 1y ago
  You should think about how you would react to “you can tell a lot about the qualities of a society by the way they [detain people on Nauru | reject asyl seekers | don’t care for indigenous populations]”. I feel your comment is a generalisation and could be construed as provocation/trolling. Probably not your intention, but just so you are aware how this is coming over. Better maybe: “societies that have good health care thrive” or something like this. Sounds less judgmental and it doesn’t put all US Americans in one basket. I fully agree on the content though, only criticising the form here.
  - shirro 1y ago
    Australian indigenous women do in fact have a higher risk of HPV and cervical cancer than the general population. We do need to do better but we also face some challenges in delivering quality services to rural and remote communities. Achieving a consensus amongst millions of people on how to run a country isn't simple and stupid shit often happens. Anyway, well done Denmark. We are trying to do the same thing here in Australia with some success. Not sure how it became about the US but good luck to you all as well.
  - boxed 1y ago
    No one mentioned the US before you did.
    - illiac786 1y ago
      I don’t understand your point. Why would my critic (of the form, to be clear again) not apply anymore if the parent comment meant the french?
Kalanos 1y ago
In the US, there is no male test for HPV
curtisszmania 1y ago
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sincerely 1y ago
the
killjoywashere 1y ago
Denmark is in a chronic baby shortage [1] and people in Western democracies are having less sex generally [2]. So, yay, less HPV. Go get vaccinated [3]. Unfortunately, there are some pretty significant (and sad, yes, sad) confounders. [1] https://www.sdu.dk/en/nyheder/faldende-fertilitet https://www.sdu.dk/en/nyheder/faldende-fertilitet [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=western+democracies+decreasing+sex https://www.google.com/search?q=western+democracies+decreasi... [3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399474/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399474/
- illiac786 1y ago
  Do you mean there is a causality between less sex and HPV vaccination, when you write “confounder”? I can’t find any study supporting this, hence double checking.
  - fluoridation 1y ago
    I think maybe they mean that the fact that people are having less sex is confounding the cause-effect relationship between vaccination and fewer cases of HPV. I don't know about people having less sex, though. That seems hard to believe.
    - illiac786 1y ago
      Ah, got it. That is a valid point.
    - kgwgk 1y ago
      A generation of ‘virgins’ is leading America’s next sexual revolution https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/29/gen-z-sexual-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/...
olivia-banks 1y ago
Cervical cancer really doesn't need to be a thing anymore, the vast majority of cases are oncoviral, and we know how to prevent HPV.
fifilura 1y ago
This discovery, and generally the ground breaking connection between a virus and cancer, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2008/press-release/ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2008/press-releas...
- fuckyah 1y ago
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sandGorgon 1y ago
India started one of the biggest programs for HPV vaccines - https://www.news18.com/india/india-bets-on-jan-aushadhi-kendras-for-hpv-vaccine-to-prevent-cervical-cancer-adds-116-new-drugs-ws-kl-9375423.html https://www.news18.com/india/india-bets-on-jan-aushadhi-kend...
v3ss0n 1y ago
Can I still take that vaccine regardless of sexual activity as a 41 years old male? Will it prevent centers that can cause by HPV?
- navi0 1y ago
  It could still protect you from one or more strains that you haven’t been exposed to through sexual partners and avoid contracting or passing it along to a future partner. There’s no practical way for a man to be tested for HPV (I asked and the doc said “it’ll be very painful and the result will be the same: get the vax”) I experienced zero side effects when I got HPV vaxxed at 38yo.
  - mrtesthah 1y ago
    There some circumstantial evidence it could help with plantar warts, too.
floppiplopp 1y ago
"Denmark completely autistic." -Unnamed US federal government secretary
attila-lendvai 1y ago
and why do we trust gavi?
stared 1y ago
There is recent research showing that it can (slightly) help even during HPV infection, see "Effect of HPV Vaccination on Virus Disappearance in Cervical Samples of a Cohort of HPV-Positive Polish Patients", J Clin Med (2023) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38137661/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38137661/. Also, the eligibility criterion of not vaccinating people above certain age is NOT valid. I mean, sooner better. But if you are adult and there is any chance that you ever get a new sexual parter, get a vaccine. 90% people with get at least one HPV strain in their life. 10-30% people have at least one HPV strain right now. (I recommend doing PCR test with strains genotyping. I do it periodically.) Sure, our organism usually gets rid of such on 1-3 years, with no consequences. Yet, vaccine boosts your immunity. Also, over 50% of cases of throat cancer are HPV-lead. So if you have male body, also vaccinate - both to protect others and yourself. Ideally for 9 strains, but HPV 16 and HPV 18 are by far the most important. A few more links: https://pinboard.in/u:pmigdal/t:hpv https://pinboard.in/u:pmigdal/t:hpv
- vidarh 1y ago
  > Also, the eligibility criterion of not vaccinating people above certain age is NOT valid. I mean, sooner better. But if you are adult and there is any chance that you ever get a new sexual parter, get a vaccine. The eligibility criterion has primary been about controlling cost to focus about the groups where the societal effect is greatest. I expect it may gradually get broadened, but most places you can also get it privately even if you fall outside those ages. E.g. in the UK, most private providers will vaccinate you up to 45, and at least some private providers will give you the vaccine with no upper age limit (and a lower age limit of 9) at a relatively reasonable cost (~180 pounds per dose - 2 to 3 doses)
  - stared 1y ago
    Prioritization makes a lot of sense. At the same time, guidelines go differently, e.g. "Vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years." from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.htm.... These things propagate among doctors and most of them do not recommend vaccination (contrary to modern research data!)
egorfine 1y ago
No worries. Some developed countries[1] will make sure to preserve these strains. [1] The list has just a single entry for now.
- spwa4 1y ago
  HPV vaccine is certainly not fully rolled out across developed countries.
m101 1y ago
I think the history of this is something like: - it was an expensive vaccine - it was therefore initially introduced to women as a cervical cancer thing - HPV however hits men at around half the cancer rate of women but through throat cancer Or something like that. So actually the benefit to men is of a similar order of magnitude as that to women but it was just given to women to save money. Every child should be given it. Edit: Total Rate (of HPV caused cancers) in Women: Approximately 15.9 cases per 100,000 females per year. Total Rate in Men: Approximately 9.3 cases per 100,000 males per year. Edit 2: Severity-Adjusted HPV Cancer Burden: When adjusted for the severity and impact on life, the relative burden of HPV-related cancers shifts. Cancers with higher mortality rates and more debilitating treatments, like oropharyngeal cancer, carry a heavier weight. Total Burden in Men: Approximately 135 DALYs per 100,000 males per year. Total Burden in Women: Approximately 125 DALYs per 100,000 females per year.
- holm 1y ago
  The HPV vaccine became part of the government vaccination program for boys/men 6 years ago (almost to the date) precisely for the reasons you mention. Personally really happy to see this as there was some initial fear mongering related to the HPV vaccine some years ago.
born2web 1y ago
If i have no memory/record of getting this vaccine (but there was a possibility that i could have already gotten the vaccine years ago), is it okay to take it again?
mancerayder 1y ago
How do men and men that are older get it?
- MisterTea 1y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection#Cause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection...
  - mancerayder 1y ago
    The vaccine, not the virus. :-). It seems completely blocked by many health authorities.
m-p-3 1y ago
Reminded me that I'm due for my second dose, provided temporarily for free in Quebec for people between 21 to 45 years old who didn't get it when they were young because it wasn't a thing back then. https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/vaccination/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccination-program https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/vaccin... Now they're offering it to children as part of the standard regimen, which is great.
tempera 1y ago
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sprytny 1y ago
Bingo!
boxerab 1y ago
Here's why we should be wary of the "wonder drug" being touted by GAVI: RFK Jr.: "Gardasil is probably the single worst mass vaccine that we've ever seen. This vaccine targets millions of preteens and teens for whom the risk of dying from cervical cancer is zero. Nobody in their right mind would ever take this vaccine if they actually read the clinical literature." "Death rates in the Gardasil trials were 37 times the death rates for cervical cancer. Children who take that vaccine, the Gardasil vaccine, are 37 times more likely to die from the vaccine than they are to die from cervical cancer. The problem with Gardasil, like most vaccines, is it was never tested against a true placebo, an inert placebo." "And the CDC and HHS say, if you don't test it against a true placebo, it's not science. You have no way of gauging whether the injuries you're seeing from the product are being caused by that product, or whether they're just bad, sad coincidences. The entity that is actually performing the study is, and paying for the study, is Merck." "Merck got to decide which injuries were being caused by Gardasil and which were just bad coincidences. And because it had that power, it just wrote them all off as bad coincidences." "You can do that when there's no placebo, because the injuries they were seeing in the control group, where the girls were getting aluminum neurotoxins, were identical to the injuries they were getting in the Gardasil group." "So they said, well, we don't have to report any of these as vaccine injuries. They were able to license something that is insanely dangerous."
mariaerica 1y ago
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mariaerica 1y ago
[dead]

968 points by slu 1y ago

gigatexal 1y ago

[flagged]

mkfs 1y ago
I'm not a woman, but I wonder how necessary pap smears (one of the most invasive procedures to which women are routinely subjected) are if everyone's vaccinated against HPV? https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screening-tests-often-overused-study-finds https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin...
- giantg2 1y ago
  It looks like your sibling post has a link from WHO showing screening will be a continued effort.
- ejstronge 1y ago
  > I'm not a woman, but I wonder how necessary pap smears (one of them most invasive procedures to which women are subjected) are if everyone's vaccinated against HPV? https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/cervical-cancer-screenin... It will continue to be necessary because there are more strains of HPV than those that are targeted by vaccines. The way this article is broken into sections is a bit misleading - the recommendation for cervical cancer hasn't been annual screening for a long time. This is acknowledged in the text, but even there is unclear.
toomuchtodo 1y ago
There are people who will do the right thing, there will be people who you can teach to do the right thing, and there will be people who will ignore you no matter what. Optimize for the first two. "Pick better parents" is unfortunately unactionable advice. Australia has almost eradicated cervical cancer through HPV vaccination efforts, other countries will get there as a function of uptake and cohort replacement. There is a recently developed blood test that can detect the biomarkers from HPV related cancers years before they would traditionally be diagnosed, but prevention via vaccination remains key. https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2023-global-partners-cheer-progress-towards-eliminating-cervical-cancer-and-underline-challenges https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2023-global-partners-che... https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30183-X/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV_vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV_vaccine https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jnci/djaf249/8248381 https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/1... | https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf249 https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf249
- gigatexal 1y ago
  Shaming the current administration and pointing out their lies until we are out of breath is still a worthwhile endeavor. In this age of social media a good gotcha that goes viral can tank an election. With the midterms coming up in a year I’m hopeful.

inglor_cz 1y ago

Good news. Bad news is that many countries came close to wiping out measles et al. too, but it takes sustained effort to keep things like that.

giantg2 1y ago
Unlike the measles, HPV is not a good eradication candidate due to the existence of non-human reservoirs.
- AnimalMuppet 1y ago
  I think you said that backwards. HPV does not have non-human reservoirs, per Wikipedia. (Do you have evidence that it's wrong?)
  - giantg2 1y ago
    Ah, looks like I might have read the paper wrong. It's theorized that some HPV strains could also be carried by non-human primates.
  - russdill 1y ago
    Hence the "H"
    - serial_dev 1y ago
      Although you are (as I understand) right, the question itself is valid, lots of diseases spread to species other than the one that is in the name… Chickenpox, monkeypox, swine flu, or even the Spanish flu.
      - russdill 1y ago
        Lots of diseases are potentially zoonotic. When diseases have animals in the name, it often just refers to zoonosis itself (except of course chickenpox). But when diseases or parasites have human in there name, it's almost always because it's a disease that only effects humans.

blindriver 1y ago

The goal wasn't to eliminate the HPV strains, it was to decrease cervical cancer. Has Denmark encountered a drop in cervical cancer? If so, that's a great outcome!

sjsdaiuasgdia 1y ago
This seems to have some data that suggests they have seen a decline: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.35081 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.35081 There's a chart about 2/3 down the page that shows a drop in several age groups, and a particularly striking drop in the 20-29 age group: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/fd3e820c-4610-4c4e-8eaa-63944d250d51/ijc35081-fig-0003-m.jpg https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/fd3e820c-4610-4c4e...
justin66 1y ago
[flagged]
- LorenPechtel 1y ago
  Why is this getting downvoted? It's obviously humor!
  - simongr3dal 1y ago
    Because HN is not really a forum geared towards sarcastic quips unless they are extraordinarily funny.
  - Bjartr 1y ago
    More importantly, it does not add to the conversation. If humor alone is what you want, head to Reddit. Humor is welcome here, but it needs to have some substance behind it.
    - justin66 1y ago
      Unlike the three comments above, my bad joke distracted from the thrust of the conversation. Ahem.

YeahThisIsMe 1y ago

And I can't get the shot in Germany because I'm "too old" and just assumed to be infected with it already, anyway. What a great system.

n1b0m 1y ago
Can you pay for it?
- bartman 1y ago
  Generally yes. I asked my primary care physician and would have been able to get the vaccine dose from the pharmacy (paying for it myself) and she would have administered it.
- riggsdk 1y ago
  In Denmark you can. I was in my mid thirties when I went to my doctor to ask them to prescribe it. Before each shot I would go to the pharmacy and buy one dose and go to the doctor to have them administer it for me (if I wanted to). At that time I think it was free for teenage girls, now it's free for teenage boys as well.
  - Fomite 1y ago
    The evolution of who gets HPV vaccines is really interesting. At first it was young women, as vaccinating young men had a very marginal decrease in cervical cancer rates via indirect protection (which itself is a function of how many young women are vaccinated). Then as HPV infection was linked to more cancers, vaccinating young men crossed the cost-effectiveness thresholds many governments use. Vaccinating older populations is similarly just a less clear-cut case, but it's a cost-effectiveness argument, not one purely driven by if the vaccine offers protection.
    - respondo2134 1y ago
      it's not just the cost of the vaccine roll-out though, you need test on your target demo and since these are healthy people the bar is very high. If the demographic (like males over 45) shows very little involvement in the infection vectors then testing might fail the cost-effectiveness, not the delivery of the vaccine.

everdrive 1y ago

Does the vaccine benefit you if you've already been infected?

giantg2 1y ago
I've heard of it being administered post exposure as a way to help the body fight the existing infection. Seemed a little odd when I first heard it as HPV should clear on it's own.
- Fomite 1y ago
  The key is you want it to clear as quickly as possible.
abirch 1y ago
There are multiple strains of HPV and most people haven't been infected with all of the strains. from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/by_the_way_doctor_should_i_get_the_hpv_vaccine_if_im_already_infected https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/by_th...
- mrheosuper 1y ago
  Does the vaccine work against all strains ?
  - epistasis 1y ago
    It has only been targeted against the strains known to cause cancer. I haven't looked but I would guess getting all strains would have been a greater challenge, and would not have greatly increased uptake of the vaccine. The false perception that it's a vaccine that will encourages unprotected sex has already greatly hindered adoption in the US.
  - Fomite 1y ago
    No, it's targeted against those most associated with cancer.

NooneAtAll3 1y ago

Cervical cancer (uterus), not skin cancer from a bad papillomas as I thought after looking up what HPV meant

mitb6 1y ago
Also throat, mouth, tongue, anal and penile cancers.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- astura 1y ago
  Add in anal cancer too
tialaramex 1y ago
It turns out a human body has a lot of surfaces facing the "outside" in some sense and we forget about the parts we can't see. Most of this surface is not covered in what we'd conventionally consider skin. It's bit like if you were looking at surfaces in a house and forgot the walls and ceiling.
- Fomite 1y ago
  Humans (and most animals) are just tubes with extra bits.

pm90 1y ago

If you're living in the US: please consider getting the vaccine, ragardless of your age. It was covered by my (rather shitty) health insurance. It consists of just 2 (EDIT: 3 for adults!) doses. It is recommended for both Males and Females.

justin66 1y ago
> It consists of just 2 doses. Wasn't it 3 doses before?
- pm90 1y ago
  you're right its 3, updated message
baldr333 1y ago
[flagged]
abeppu 1y ago
... did you finish the series? I think for adults it should be 3 doses. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/administration.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/administration.html
DaSHacka 1y ago
[flagged]
- simmerup 1y ago
  Enjoy your warts
  - edgineer 1y ago
    Restrict your partners to Danes and you are unlikely to contract it.
  - DaSHacka 1y ago
    [flagged]

perihelions 1y ago

By way of contrast, America's current top "doctor" organized a class-action lawsuit against the HPV vaccine. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedy-played-key-role-vaccine-case-against-merck-2025-01-18/ https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/... ("Kennedy played key role in Gardasil vaccine case against Merck") > "Details of the Gardasil litigation show how Kennedy took action beyond sowing doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines in the court of public opinion and helped build a case against the pharmaceutical industry before judges and juries." > "Kennedy, a longtime plaintiffs' lawyer, became involved in the Gardasil litigation in 2018 in collaboration with Robert Krakow, an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases, Krakow said"

etchalon 1y ago
We have the first leaders.
api 1y ago
It's okay, he'll have us treat cervical cancer with a juice cleanse and vibes.
- ryandrake 1y ago
  Don't forget prayer--the ultimate solution to everything!
- antonvs 1y ago
  Also the juice is whale juice.
unethical_ban 1y ago
I remember this being a big controversy in Texas in the 2000s. Our Republican governor, forcing girls to get the vaccine! What does he think Texan girls are, lusty? Not like disease prevention is a universally good thing and some people tend to have sex. At the end of the day, religious radicals like STDs because it enforces their worldview that having multiple sexual partners in a lifetime is a sin.

boxerab 1y ago

[flagged]

vhcr 1y ago
> Is there a net positive benefit to this shot? Yes https://ourworldindata.org/hpv-vaccination-world-can-eliminate-cervical-cancer https://ourworldindata.org/hpv-vaccination-world-can-elimina...
- boxerab 1y ago
  Doesn't answer the question. Other vaccines, for example DTP, have been shown to cause higher long term mortality rate over those who didn't get it. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000707 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000707
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    > Other vaccines, for example DTP, have been shown to cause higher long term mortality rate Sure. This one hasn’t. That said, I frankly think people should be free to vaccinate as they please, and cities, states and private businesses free to include and exclude folks based on vaccination status as they please. (I’m also in favor of letting insurance companies choose if they want to cover diseases someone chose to get by going unvaccinated.)
    - analog8374 1y ago
      Agreed. We could decide it over Facebook. Who is allowed to buy food etc. That would be democratic and efficient.
    - boxerab 1y ago
      > Sure. This one hasn’t. That is exactly why we need to apply the precautionary principle for new drugs like this one. > That said, I frankly think people should be free to vaccinate as they please Never said they shouldn't be. Just need to be skeptical of organizations like GAVI and their PR, as they have a huge conflict of interest in promoting and profiting from these drugs.

nixosbestos 1y ago

I remember arguing in favor of Gardasil as a teenager in highschool. And now RFK Jr calling it dangerous. Someday my head might just explode.

Animats 1y ago

Good to hear what's happening in the more advanced countries.

oulipo2 1y ago
[flagged]
dmix 1y ago
RFK Jr may be a bit biased, his opposition has been profitable > Kennedy for years has earned referral fees from Wisner Baum, a Los Angeles personal injury law firm that is currently suing Merck, alleging the pharmaceutical giant failed to properly warn the public about risks from its vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, according to financial disclosure documents filed by Kennedy with the Office of Government Ethics. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-confirmation-robert-f-kennedy-merck/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-confirmation-robert-f-ke...
- MRson 1y ago
  Remember to look for critical takes. I encourage you to look at stuff like this with an open mind, and if you disagree with anything, look into the details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqI_z1OcenQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqI_z1OcenQ

huflungdung 1y ago

[dead]

syntaxing 1y ago

Wasn’t this also the same conclusion for Australia? Cervical cancer plummeted to record rates. Men should still get it so they don’t effect their partners and HPV causes all sort of cancer too.

femto 1y ago
Australia rolled out the HPV vaccine for girls in 2007. Boys were included in the program in 2013. Modelling says that "elimination" depends on both the vaccine and a screening program [3]. [1] https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/news/australian-success-story-hpv-vaccine/ https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/news/australian-success-sto... [2] https://www.ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-07/HPV%20Factsheet_July%202022%20update_Final.pdf https://www.ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-07/HPV%20F... [3] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667%2818%2930183-X/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2...
epistasis 1y ago
Yes, Michael Douglas had a throat cancer he said was from "oral sex" meaning HPV infection, and I remember social media berating him for saying that as if it were impossible, but it really is. Random anecdote: with whole genome sequencing, which is fairly common among the rich with cancer, you can sometimes find the exact cancer driving genes that the HPV has amplified. I remember looking at one case where the HER2 gene was amplified with many copies, and you could see it attached to chunks of HPV genome. Fortunately there's now many drugs that specifically target amplified HER2, originally developed only for breast cancer, where there are diagnostic test to find the subset of breast cancers with the amplification.

duffpkg 1y ago

This article headline is a gross abuse of the conclusions of the actual study which is here: https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.27.2400820 https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.E... This site is full of people perfectly capable of reading most studies. I would much rather see these links go to studies than endless clickbait articles about studies. The conclusion of the study show that about 30% of the women in the study from 2017-2014 tested positive for one of several types of HPV infection. This does appear to be a reduction from an earlier 2013 study but the earlier study was by different authors with different methodology so gauging the scale of the reduction is not straightforward. My opinion is that a safe conclusion of the study is that HPV prevalence has not increased.

amluto 1y ago
That link says: > What have we learnt from this study? > Infection with HPV types covered by the vaccine (HPV16/18) has been almost eliminated. Before vaccination, the prevalence of HPV16/18 was between 15–17%, which has decreased in vaccinated women to < 1% by 2021. However, about one-third of women still had HPV infection with non-vaccine high-risk HPV types, and new infections with these types were more frequent in vaccinated than in unvaccinated women. The conclusion seems to be that the vaccine is extremely effective at preventing infection by the strains included in the vaccine. One might reach a stretch conclusion and infer that the 9-valent vaccine would be even better as it would (probably) dramatically reduce the risk of several of the remaining “high-risk” variants.
atombender 1y ago
> about 30% of the women in the study from 2017-2014 tested positive for one of several types of HPV infection. That number was referring to different strains not covered by the vaccine. The study says the rate of infection dropped to less than 1% among those strains the vaccine protects against.
pitpatagain 1y ago
The study is linked early in the article and is fairly dense, the article summarized it well and is a lot more readable. 16/18 are the most carcinogenic strains, they have been close to eradicated in Denmark. "Denmark close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out" is the full headline and 100% accurate. Those were the only two high risk strains covered by the vaccine used in the time frame studied. The study covers the first cohort of girls given the 2008 version of the vaccine when they recently reached age to start screening. It is expected to not see other strains affected in this study, even though current vaccines are broader. The total number of high risk HPV cases in the study went down post-vaccination. The notion of numbered strains of HPV is about diverging lineages going back hundreds of thousands of years in a highly conserved, slowly mutating virus. They are not comparable to things like seasonal COVID or flu strains.

0xTJ 1y ago

That's great to hear! Here where I am, Ontario, Canada, I just barely missed out on getting the HPV vaccine for free in high school. At the time, they were only vaccinating girls, but added boys a year or two after me.

hylaride 1y ago
Check your (or your parent's) drug coverage insurance. You may be covered (mine is under the drug name gardasil).

deadbabe 1y ago

It’s insane to think that someday humanity will finally find a cure for cancer, and then after all this money and research and struggle people will just… choose not to use it.

thfuran 1y ago
There will never be a single cure to all cancers. Different cancers have different underlying mechanisms and affect different tissues.
- whycome 1y ago
  Maybe. The fact that some animals are especially immune to cancers suggest there are ways to prevent the outcome (cell replication/mutation).
  - fluoridation 1y ago
    Are they immune to cancer, or do they simply not live long enough to develop them? AFAIK, only plants are immune to cancer.
    - actionfromafar 1y ago
      Elephants and naked mole rats. https://www.sciencealert.com/these-animals-can-t-get-cancer-and-scientists-think-they-could-hold-a-cure https://www.sciencealert.com/these-animals-can-t-get-cancer-...
    - hidroto 1y ago
      These might not technically be cancers but the similarity is there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl
- somenameforme 1y ago
  I think this is untrue. All work by uncontrolled replication of cells. This is why nanotechnology had the promise of being able to eliminate cancer - imagine a nano scale robot regularly cycling through your body on occasion, looking for and eliminating cancerous growths. Drugs, though, probably have very limited potential.

uvas_pasas_per 1y ago

Is there a test to see if you have the virus already? So I know whether I should take the vaccine.

shirro 1y ago

Good stuff. Australia has a target for eliminating cervical cancer by 2035 and ofcourse HPV is responsible for a large proportion of penile, mouth, throat and anal cancers as well. All my kids got free vaccinations at school. It is shocking that there are still places in the world where this is controversial. You can tell a lot about the qualities of a society by the way they care for their own.

illiac786 1y ago
You should think about how you would react to “you can tell a lot about the qualities of a society by the way they [detain people on Nauru | reject asyl seekers | don’t care for indigenous populations]”. I feel your comment is a generalisation and could be construed as provocation/trolling. Probably not your intention, but just so you are aware how this is coming over. Better maybe: “societies that have good health care thrive” or something like this. Sounds less judgmental and it doesn’t put all US Americans in one basket. I fully agree on the content though, only criticising the form here.
- shirro 1y ago
  Australian indigenous women do in fact have a higher risk of HPV and cervical cancer than the general population. We do need to do better but we also face some challenges in delivering quality services to rural and remote communities. Achieving a consensus amongst millions of people on how to run a country isn't simple and stupid shit often happens. Anyway, well done Denmark. We are trying to do the same thing here in Australia with some success. Not sure how it became about the US but good luck to you all as well.
- boxed 1y ago
  No one mentioned the US before you did.
  - illiac786 1y ago
    I don’t understand your point. Why would my critic (of the form, to be clear again) not apply anymore if the parent comment meant the french?

Kalanos 1y ago

In the US, there is no male test for HPV

curtisszmania 1y ago

[dead]

sincerely 1y ago

the

killjoywashere 1y ago

Denmark is in a chronic baby shortage [1] and people in Western democracies are having less sex generally [2]. So, yay, less HPV. Go get vaccinated [3]. Unfortunately, there are some pretty significant (and sad, yes, sad) confounders. [1] https://www.sdu.dk/en/nyheder/faldende-fertilitet https://www.sdu.dk/en/nyheder/faldende-fertilitet [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=western+democracies+decreasing+sex https://www.google.com/search?q=western+democracies+decreasi... [3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399474/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399474/

illiac786 1y ago
Do you mean there is a causality between less sex and HPV vaccination, when you write “confounder”? I can’t find any study supporting this, hence double checking.
- fluoridation 1y ago
  I think maybe they mean that the fact that people are having less sex is confounding the cause-effect relationship between vaccination and fewer cases of HPV. I don't know about people having less sex, though. That seems hard to believe.
  - illiac786 1y ago
    Ah, got it. That is a valid point.
  - kgwgk 1y ago
    A generation of ‘virgins’ is leading America’s next sexual revolution https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/29/gen-z-sexual-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/...

olivia-banks 1y ago

Cervical cancer really doesn't need to be a thing anymore, the vast majority of cases are oncoviral, and we know how to prevent HPV.

fifilura 1y ago

This discovery, and generally the ground breaking connection between a virus and cancer, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2008/press-release/ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2008/press-releas...

fuckyah 1y ago
[dead]

sandGorgon 1y ago

India started one of the biggest programs for HPV vaccines - https://www.news18.com/india/india-bets-on-jan-aushadhi-kendras-for-hpv-vaccine-to-prevent-cervical-cancer-adds-116-new-drugs-ws-kl-9375423.html https://www.news18.com/india/india-bets-on-jan-aushadhi-kend...

v3ss0n 1y ago

Can I still take that vaccine regardless of sexual activity as a 41 years old male? Will it prevent centers that can cause by HPV?

navi0 1y ago
It could still protect you from one or more strains that you haven’t been exposed to through sexual partners and avoid contracting or passing it along to a future partner. There’s no practical way for a man to be tested for HPV (I asked and the doc said “it’ll be very painful and the result will be the same: get the vax”) I experienced zero side effects when I got HPV vaxxed at 38yo.
- mrtesthah 1y ago
  There some circumstantial evidence it could help with plantar warts, too.

floppiplopp 1y ago

"Denmark completely autistic." -Unnamed US federal government secretary

attila-lendvai 1y ago

and why do we trust gavi?

stared 1y ago

There is recent research showing that it can (slightly) help even during HPV infection, see "Effect of HPV Vaccination on Virus Disappearance in Cervical Samples of a Cohort of HPV-Positive Polish Patients", J Clin Med (2023) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38137661/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38137661/. Also, the eligibility criterion of not vaccinating people above certain age is NOT valid. I mean, sooner better. But if you are adult and there is any chance that you ever get a new sexual parter, get a vaccine. 90% people with get at least one HPV strain in their life. 10-30% people have at least one HPV strain right now. (I recommend doing PCR test with strains genotyping. I do it periodically.) Sure, our organism usually gets rid of such on 1-3 years, with no consequences. Yet, vaccine boosts your immunity. Also, over 50% of cases of throat cancer are HPV-lead. So if you have male body, also vaccinate - both to protect others and yourself. Ideally for 9 strains, but HPV 16 and HPV 18 are by far the most important. A few more links: https://pinboard.in/u:pmigdal/t:hpv https://pinboard.in/u:pmigdal/t:hpv

vidarh 1y ago
> Also, the eligibility criterion of not vaccinating people above certain age is NOT valid. I mean, sooner better. But if you are adult and there is any chance that you ever get a new sexual parter, get a vaccine. The eligibility criterion has primary been about controlling cost to focus about the groups where the societal effect is greatest. I expect it may gradually get broadened, but most places you can also get it privately even if you fall outside those ages. E.g. in the UK, most private providers will vaccinate you up to 45, and at least some private providers will give you the vaccine with no upper age limit (and a lower age limit of 9) at a relatively reasonable cost (~180 pounds per dose - 2 to 3 doses)
- stared 1y ago
  Prioritization makes a lot of sense. At the same time, guidelines go differently, e.g. "Vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years." from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.htm.... These things propagate among doctors and most of them do not recommend vaccination (contrary to modern research data!)

egorfine 1y ago

No worries. Some developed countries[1] will make sure to preserve these strains. [1] The list has just a single entry for now.

spwa4 1y ago
HPV vaccine is certainly not fully rolled out across developed countries.

m101 1y ago

I think the history of this is something like: - it was an expensive vaccine - it was therefore initially introduced to women as a cervical cancer thing - HPV however hits men at around half the cancer rate of women but through throat cancer Or something like that. So actually the benefit to men is of a similar order of magnitude as that to women but it was just given to women to save money. Every child should be given it. Edit: Total Rate (of HPV caused cancers) in Women: Approximately 15.9 cases per 100,000 females per year. Total Rate in Men: Approximately 9.3 cases per 100,000 males per year. Edit 2: Severity-Adjusted HPV Cancer Burden: When adjusted for the severity and impact on life, the relative burden of HPV-related cancers shifts. Cancers with higher mortality rates and more debilitating treatments, like oropharyngeal cancer, carry a heavier weight. Total Burden in Men: Approximately 135 DALYs per 100,000 males per year. Total Burden in Women: Approximately 125 DALYs per 100,000 females per year.

holm 1y ago
The HPV vaccine became part of the government vaccination program for boys/men 6 years ago (almost to the date) precisely for the reasons you mention. Personally really happy to see this as there was some initial fear mongering related to the HPV vaccine some years ago.

born2web 1y ago

If i have no memory/record of getting this vaccine (but there was a possibility that i could have already gotten the vaccine years ago), is it okay to take it again?

mancerayder 1y ago

How do men and men that are older get it?

MisterTea 1y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection#Cause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus_infection...
- mancerayder 1y ago
  The vaccine, not the virus. :-). It seems completely blocked by many health authorities.

m-p-3 1y ago

Reminded me that I'm due for my second dose, provided temporarily for free in Quebec for people between 21 to 45 years old who didn't get it when they were young because it wasn't a thing back then. https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/vaccination/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccination-program https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/vaccin... Now they're offering it to children as part of the standard regimen, which is great.

tempera 1y ago

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sprytny 1y ago

Bingo!

boxerab 1y ago

Here's why we should be wary of the "wonder drug" being touted by GAVI: RFK Jr.: "Gardasil is probably the single worst mass vaccine that we've ever seen. This vaccine targets millions of preteens and teens for whom the risk of dying from cervical cancer is zero. Nobody in their right mind would ever take this vaccine if they actually read the clinical literature." "Death rates in the Gardasil trials were 37 times the death rates for cervical cancer. Children who take that vaccine, the Gardasil vaccine, are 37 times more likely to die from the vaccine than they are to die from cervical cancer. The problem with Gardasil, like most vaccines, is it was never tested against a true placebo, an inert placebo." "And the CDC and HHS say, if you don't test it against a true placebo, it's not science. You have no way of gauging whether the injuries you're seeing from the product are being caused by that product, or whether they're just bad, sad coincidences. The entity that is actually performing the study is, and paying for the study, is Merck." "Merck got to decide which injuries were being caused by Gardasil and which were just bad coincidences. And because it had that power, it just wrote them all off as bad coincidences." "You can do that when there's no placebo, because the injuries they were seeing in the control group, where the girls were getting aluminum neurotoxins, were identical to the injuries they were getting in the Gardasil group." "So they said, well, we don't have to report any of these as vaccine injuries. They were able to license something that is insanely dangerous."

mariaerica 1y ago

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mariaerica 1y ago

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