The Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV, is a common sexually transmitted infection. It has been estimated that fifty percent of sexually active adults in the United States will contract HPV at some point in their lives. As many as 80% of women will have been exposed to the virus by the time they reach the age of fifty. Strains of the virus have been found to cause genital warts, as well as cervical cancer. Fortunately, since 2006, there has been an HPV vaccine available for girls and young women.

The vaccine for HPV is called Gardasil, and is marketed by Merck. It has been found to be nearly one hundred percent effective in preventing the four strains of HPV that, when put together, account for seventy percent of the cases of cervical cancer and ninety percent of the cases of genital warts. It is administered in three doses over a six-month period.

The vaccine is most effective if it is given before females become sexually active. It is currently recommended that girls be vaccinated at about the ages of eleven or twelve. The vaccine can be safely administered to girls as young as nine, and women as old as twenty-six years of age. Investigations are currently being done to find out if the vaccine is safe and effective to administer to boys and young men.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 5:38 pm and is filed under Health & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.