Vaccination of adults aged ≥19 years against HPV is not routinely recommended. However, some adults may benefit from HPV vaccination.
The HPV vaccine is registered for use in males aged 9–26 years and females aged 9–45 years.
Now, men and women up to age 45 can get vaccinated. US health officials have expanded the recommended age range for people receiving the HPV vaccine to protect against several types of cancer to people in their mid-40s.
Gardasil® (Seqirus/Merck & Co Inc) is a quadrivalent VLP HPV vaccine (4vHPV; types 16, 18, 6 and 11) registered in Australia for use in females aged 9–45 years and in males aged 9–26 years.
Everyone through age 26 years should get HPV vaccine if they were not fully vaccinated already. HPV vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years.
Vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years. Some adults ages 27 through 45 years might decide to get the HPV vaccine based on discussion with their clinician, if they did not get adequately vaccinated when they were younger.
The vaccine won't protect people against types of HPV to which they've already been exposed, and many sexually active people have been exposed to at least some HPV types by their late 20s. That makes it tougher for the vaccine to have an impact in this age group.
“For women up to the age of 45 and beyond, it becomes an individual discussion that really depends on your circumstances.” “But there really isn't any downside to being vaccinated, except you have to go through some shots and there is a cost attached.”
Even if you've been infected with one type of HPV, it may not be too late to help protect yourself from certain cancers caused by other types of the virus covered by the vaccine to which you haven't been exposed to yet.
To date, protection against infections with the targeted HPV types has been found to last for at least 10 years with Gardasil (18), up to 11 years with Cervarix (17), and at least 6 years with Gardasil 9 (19).
Catch-up HPV vaccination is now recommended for all persons through age 26 years. For adults aged 27 through 45 years, public health benefit of HPV vaccination in this age range is minimal; shared clinical decision-making is recommended because some persons who are not adequately vaccinated might benefit.
ACIP does not recommend HPV vaccination for adults older than age 26 years. ACIP recommends HPV vaccination based on shared clinical decision making for individuals ages 27 through 45 years who are not adequately vaccinated. [1] HPV vaccines are not licensed for use in adults older than age 45 years.
Some people should not get some HPV vaccines if: They have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any ingredient of an HPV vaccine, or to a previous dose of HPV vaccine. They have an allergy to yeast (Gardasil and Gardasil 9). They are pregnant.
Who should not get the HPV vaccine? The HPV vaccine isn't recommended for pregnant women or people who are moderately or severely ill. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies, including an allergy to yeast or latex.
HPV vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program through school-based programs for children aged 12-13.
Males and females ages 9 to 45 can get the vaccine
In fact, patients 15 and older should receive three shots over the course of six months to receive the same benefit. The bottom line: All males and females ages 9–26 should get the HPV vaccine. It is most effective when given at ages 11–12.
HPV (human papillomavirus) infection in women during or after menopause may actually be an infection that was acquired when they were younger.
Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years. This is true of both oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV types. By age 50, at least 4 out of every 5 women will have been infected with HPV at one point in their lives. HPV is also very common in men, and often has no symptoms.
HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. HPV is estimated to cause nearly 36,500 cases of cancer in men and women every year in the United States. HPV vaccination can prevent 33,700 of these cancers by preventing the infections that cause them. That's the same as the average attendance for a baseball game.
Most people with HPV do not know they have the infection. They never develop symptoms or health problems from it. Some people find out they have HPV when they get genital warts. Women may find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result (during cervical cancer screening).
Getting the HPV vaccine
The vaccine is offered routinely, through a school-based programme, to all males and females aged 12 to 13 years (school year 9). If you have been eligible for the vaccine but have not received it in school, you can still receive it free of charge until the age of 25, if you ask your doctor.
Boys and girls aged 12 to 13 receive the free HPV vaccine at school on the National Immunisation Program Schedule. It is also available for free to anyone under 20 if they were not vaccinated at school. You can still be vaccinated if you have been infected with a type of HPV in the past.
Sometimes, women over 45 have difficulty getting HPV vaccination with Gardasil-9 because insurance coverage is only available up to the recommended age of 45. Time constraints and the six-month vaccination schedule are additional barriers that prevent older women from getting Gardasil-9.
How much does the HPV vaccine cost? Each dose of the vaccine can cost about $250. Luckily, many health insurance companies cover the HPV vaccine. There are also programs that help some people without insurance get the vaccine for low or no cost.
Since 2012, individual case reports have linked vaccination against HPV with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), defined as dysfunction or depletion of ovarian follicles, menopausal symptoms and reduced fertility before the age of 40.