A statistical study of nearly 5,500 patients who had been vaccinated against human papillomavirus infections concluded that the vaccine was generally well tolerated by men.
- While in France, 1,750 male cancers are attributable each year to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a study concludes that the vaccine is well tolerated and safe for boys.
- In December 2019, the Haute Autorité de Santé had recommended extending HPV vaccination to boys.
Each year, 2,900 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in France and 1,100 women die from it each year. At the origin of most cancers of the cervix: viruses called human papillomavirus (HPV), which are transmitted during sexual intercourse, with or without penetration, and more particularly during the first years of life sexual.
Until recently in France, vaccination against HPV infections was only recommended for young girls aged 11 to 14 (with a catch-up up to 19 years old), immunocompromised people and men who had sexual relations. sex with men up to 26 years old.
However, men can also develop cancer caused by HPV: 1,750 new cases occur in France in men each year. Hence the need to extend the vaccine to all boys.
Last December, the High Authority for Health also recommended “expanding HPV vaccination to boys”. This would allow “subject to sufficient vaccination coverage, to curb transmission within the general population, and thus better protect boys and men, regardless of their sexual orientation, but also better protect girls and women who are not vaccinated“.
Some side effects in men
But what about the tolerance of boys to the vaccine against human papillomavirus infections? So far, no study has addressed this issue. New work, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacologymake it possible to enrich knowledge on the safety profiles of anti-papillomavirus vaccines in the male population.
The study authors reviewed 5,493 Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) reports present in the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System from January 1, 2006 through September 30, 2018. allowed them to see that “HPV vaccines are generally well tolerated in men, although there are limitations to spontaneous reporting”. Among the most frequently reported side effects, men who had been vaccinated cited syncope, loss of consciousness and falling.
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