"Recently, a bivalent HPV vaccine has been licensed for use in women aged up to 45 years. Older women have robust immune responses to this vaccine and so should derive benefit from vaccination if they are exposed to HPV type 16 or 18 in the future," Dr Skinner says.
The HPV vaccine was originally approved for females ages 9 through 26. 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.
HPV vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years. Some adults age 27 through 45 years who were not already vaccinated might choose to get HPV vaccine after speaking with their doctor about their risk for new HPV infections and possible benefits of vaccination for them.
HPV vaccine is recommended for routine vaccination at age 11 or 12 years. (Vaccination can be started at age 9.) ACIP also recommends vaccination for everyone through age 26 years if not adequately vaccinated when younger.
Can I get GARDASIL 9 if I already have HPV? 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.
“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.”
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.
Conclusions: Although women aged 40 and above are not specifically considered high risk for HPV infection, many women are testing positive in this age group and are facing the impact of an HPV diagnosis that implicates a sexually transmitted disease and is known to be a precursor to cervical cancer.
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.
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.
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).
The vaccine is given as a series of shots: For kids and teens ages 9–14, the HPV vaccine is given in 2 shots over a 6- to 12-month period. For teens and young adults (ages 15–26), it's given in 3 shots over a 6-month period. People with weak immune systems also get 3 shots, including those 9–14 years old.
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).
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.
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.
But women's risk for HPV is not over yet: There is sometimes a second peak around the age of menopause. Why? A study released early in 2013 of women 35 to 60 years old found that HPV in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago.
Analysis revealed that non-menopausal women have higher HPV infection rates than menopausal women (77.25% vs. 60%, respectively), with similar rates of high-risk HPV (43.13% vs 40%, respectively). Menopausal women have higher alpha diversity and lower abundances of Lactobacillus.
While HPV does cause cervical cancer, the risk of developing cervical cancer from the virus is still quite low. For 90 percent of women with HPV, the condition will clear up on its own within two 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.
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.
You can develop HPV after age 50 when a virus that was dormant for years "reactivates" decades later.
There is no sure way to know when HPV was acquired i.e. from which partner it came from or how long ago. Sex partners who have been together tend to share HPV, even when both partners do not show signs of HPV. Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship.