Over the years, researchers have learned more about when people should get the HPV vaccine. It was originally approved for females ages 9 through 26. Then the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended both females and males get vaccinated up to age 26. However, people can get vaccinated up to age 45.
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.
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.
Even if you have already been infected with the type of HPV that causes genital warts, you can still protect yourself against the types that can cause cancer since you may not be infected with those types yet. If you get vaccinated now, it won't protect your partner, though. But your partner can be vaccinated too.
Gardasil-9 HPV vaccine protects against both genital warts and cancer. Women over 45 years old can benefit from the HPV vaccine because of it: Prevents genital warts in women with few lifetime sexual partners.
The HPV vaccine was originally approved for females ages 9 through 26. Now, adults up to age 45 can get vaccinated. U.S. 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.
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.
The vaccine is still helpful even if you have already tested positive for HPV or have been sexually active for a while. Most HPV transmission happens when people first become sexually active. But women who have already tested positive for HPV usually aren't positive for all nine types that we vaccinate for.
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms.
HPV Immunization Schedule
The vaccine is recommended for girls and boys 9 to 11 years old, and for older kids who aren't yet vaccinated. 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.
HPV vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program for young people aged approximately 12 to 13. The vaccine is primarily provided through school immunisation programs.
It is spread by skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an HPV infection—some HPV types cause genital warts but many types produce no symptoms (and symptoms may appear weeks, months, or even years after infection).
The human papillomavirus vaccine is FDA-approved only through age 26, with the thinking that by that time women (and men) have had enough sex that they're probably already exposed to the virus and won't benefit. I was 32 then.
The HPV vaccine is marketed to younger people, because of how prevalent the virus is as soon as you become sexually active. “HPV infection is very common and it's estimated that over 80 percent of sexually active adults, ages 18-65, have been infected with at least one strain, even if they never knew it,” says Dr.
Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. The warts may go away, stay the same, or grow in size or number. A healthcare provider can usually diagnose genital warts by looking at them.
People can be infected with HPV without having sexual intercourse. The likelihood of exposure increases with the number of partners a person has, and HPV will often spread early in a relationship as the person is newly exposed to the virus.
Those who said they were depressed or believed they had high levels of stress also still had an active HPV infection. HPV usually clears up on its own, but this study is really the first to indicate a link between stress and persistent HPV infection.
Most people with HPV — no matter what their gender is — don't have any symptoms. Sometimes HPV can cause warts on your penis or vulva and around your anus. Genital warts can cause irritation and discomfort, and you can pass the HPV that caused them to other people.
It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.
HPV can clear up naturally – as there is no cure for the underlying HPV infection, the only way to get rid of HPV is to wait for the immune system to clear the virus naturally.
85% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime. Almost every unvaccinated person who is sexually active will get HPV at some time in their life. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. Most HPV infections will go away on their own.
We found that the prevalence of HPV infection increased from 14 years through 24 years, and then decreased at older ages. Most evaluations in the United States have found that the prevalence of any HPV was highest in the younger age groups (<20 years).
HPV can lie dormant for years
Although the virus often heals on its own, in other cases, it lies dormant in the body and can trigger cancers years after infection. In fact, cervical cancer from HPV commonly takes 10 to 20 years or more to develop.