Researchers at Michigan Medicine evaluated HPV vaccination in young adults in the United States. According to them, only 16% of young men received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine compared to 42% of young women. However, men are just as concerned as women since in addition to being responsible for cancers of the cervix and anus, papillomaviruses can also cause ENT cancers which mainly affect men.
Researchers Evaluate HPV Vaccination in Young Adults in United States
In France, the Health Insurance reimburses, since January 1, 2021, the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) for boys. The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) therefore recommends two injections for boys and girls between 11 and 14 years old as well as the possibility of having recourse to a catch-up until the age of 19 years. In this case, three injections are necessary. On the US side, the Center for Disease Control presented similar recommendations.
Indeed, first approved against the human papillomavirus (HPV) for women in 2006 and for the prevention of anogenital cancer and warts in men in 2009, vaccination recommendations have even broadened in 2020 to include the prevention of oropharyngeal cancer. Despite recommendations and incentives for vaccination, American candidates are few. This is what reveals an American study which underlines a weak adhesion of young men to this vaccination in the United States.
Men get vaccinated less than women
To arrive at this finding, researchers at Michigan Medicine used data from the National Health Surveys from 2010 to 2018. They found that less than a third of boys received full doses, compared to nearly half. girls. Indeed, only 16% of men aged 18 to 21 had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine at any age compared to 42% of women in the same age group who had received at least one injection of the vaccine.
According to Michelle M. Chen, author of the study: “ 18-21 year olds are at that age in life when they are making decisions about their health, on their own, for the first time. […] Young men, who are less likely to have a general practitioner, generally do not receive health education, such as vaccines to prevent cancer. “.
A preventive vaccine against cervical cancer, but not only
The study authors deplore the low number of young adults vaccinated against HPV. And for good reason, human papillomaviruses can be responsible for certain potentially cancerous lesions. In addition to cancers of the anus or the cervix, they can also lead to ENT cancers. In the United States, HPV even causes more ENT cancers than cervical cancers, and 80% of people diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer are men.
Michelle M. Chen said: “ I don’t think many people, both providers and patients, are aware that this vaccine is actually a cancer prevention vaccine for both men and women. […] But HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer can impact anyone – and there is no good screening, which makes vaccination even more important “.
