HPV vaccine for men

I can't help but wonder why the current situation surrounding HPV vaccines feels so... off. Usually, when you deal with sexually transmitted diseases, the logic is to look at both partners. But with HPV, we get this strange phenomenon where everything centers on cervical cancer while men are just completely brushed aside.

Men definitely transmit HPV, and they certainly can fall ill from it. In some circles, the consequences for men are dismissed as "minor," though I’m fairly certain anyone dealing with genital warts isn't going to find the experience particularly trivial. Beyond that, HPV causes penile cancer in men, as well as throat cancer—given how it spreads through oral sex. While both types of cancer are relatively rare, they are undeniably serious issues for those affected.

Now, someone please try to explain to me how this approach is actually rational. Just focusing on half the population while ignoring the other half, and then seasoning the whole thing with pseudo-scientific nonsense like "the vaccine's efficacy hasn't been tested on people with a shoe size of 8"... it just doesn't track.

Look, I can accept the idea that women might face higher risks, but I cannot stomach the moronic claims that the vaccine hasn't been tested on men. Since when did men and women suddenly develop entirely different immune systems? And since when do viruses exist that exclusively target one specific gender?

Another thing that really gets under my skin is these mindless recommendations regarding which age groups are "suitable" for vaccination. By the time a girl is over 17, she's likely had enough partners that there's a significant chance she's already encountered HPV. Isn't that just discriminating against girls—or guys, for that matter—who are less sexually active? Take someone who hasn't even had sex by age 25; they could still benefit immensely from HPV immunity if they plan to become active later. Wouldn't it be more equitable to perform an HPV test before vaccinating, targeting only those who aren't already infected, rather than relying on this blunt, age-based selection process?

Do you all think the current situation, where only girls are getting vaccinated, actually makes sense... or is it just fundamentally flawed?

To get straight to the point, yes, there is. Everything you just listed is secondary to the core issue regarding HPV. This specific approach is what will yield the best results in curbing the epidemic.
The manufacturing, testing, and final approval processes for any vaccine are incredibly long-winded and prohibitively expensive. However, it is a proven fact that HPV causes cervical cancer and is responsible for over 90% of those cases.
Furthermore, the number of women diagnosed annually is substantial. Given all these factors, investing in vaccine development makes perfect sense.
As for men, the data isn't fully conclusive yet, and the number of men suffering from these specific types of cancer is extremely low. That is why men aren't currently the focus of this entire initiative.
That said, even here in the States, there was experimental vaccine testing conducted on males. I wonder how far that progressed and if it’s still available. 🤷

p.s.
The prevalence of HPV within the sexually active population is incredibly high—around 70%. Because of that, there is no point in wasting money on selective screening; it is simply more straightforward and efficient to vaccinate young girls before they become sexually active.
Besides, the vaccine is a commercial product—if you pay for it, you can get vaccinated.

Sure, you can pay for the shot if you want: But what’s the point when your doctor can't even tell you if you've already had HPV and cleared it, or if you're dealing with a specific strain that might be resistant to treatment later on? Every doctor seems to have their own conflicting theory, and frankly, it feels like a lot of guesswork. Not to mention how reliable Pap tests actually are—when it comes to HPV, they aren't exactly cutting it. Why is there such a lack of detailed info on the virus itself, like whether you'll develop immunity? It shouldn't be this hard for science to figure out; HPV isn't some brand-new mystery. They just drone on about cervical cancer and leave it at that. There's zero guidance on actual protection or prevention strategies. And honestly, women with HPV often carry it in the mouth, nose, or throat, which can lead to upper 🤣 cancer, not just lower, and that goes for men too.
I have to wonder, do ENT specialists even carry HPV tests? I highly doubt it. I feel like I'd have to practically beg my gynecologist to take a look with a colposcope—and please, for heaven's sake, sterilize first! 🙄🤣

Jamie Rivera78 : (Has anyone else been spooked by those claims that HPV NEVER just clears up on its own?)

Some people are terrified, others aren't. Even doctors can't seem to agree 🤣. They haven't reached a consensus yet. Maybe they will one day.

Of course it’s self-limiting; most things like it are. But whether a person stays contagious to others—how long, when, or if—there are no clear answers. Is HPV similar to herpes or the flu? No answer. Does a person build immunity afterward? No answer. Do you even still have it? No answer. Did you ever even have it in the first place? Still no answer.

So, what’s the point of getting vaccinated then? Honestly, since it only covers four strains, it doesn't feel worth the money to me; I'd rather save my cash for more practical things.

Everything else you mentioned couldn't have been put more accurately. 👍

And look, people, don't let HPV scare you; if you're in a long-term relationship, you've already swapped types, so you'll obviously be immune and healthy moving forward.

You can't run from this nuisance, but humans are a little stronger than stuff like this. Get that through your heads! 😉

It’s actually an interesting little fact that there are so many different strains of HPV out there, yet Gardasil only covers four of them... I find myself nodding along with quite a bit of what Jamie Rivera78 is saying. It’s funny, really... how much it irritates me when people get worked up over some silly narrative built on shaky statistics. And then, in their attempt to push back against the medical establishment, they somehow end up landing right in the lap of big pharma marketing...
Maybe one day we'll actually see a decent generic vaccine that covers all the types?

Anyway, based on what Jamie Rivera78 is getting at, it doesn't make much sense to be vaccinating girls, boys, or frankly, anyone else with Gardasil.

The bottom line is that those four specific strains are highly linked to the development of cervical cancer. Do yourself a favor and actually Google "high-risk HPV" to see the data.

I honestly don't quite wrap my head around the logic behind getting vaccinated for just four specific virus types (especially when we all know there are way more than that 🙄) when it feels like the risk of dealing with side effects might actually outweigh the chance of dying from those four specific strains 🙄 ☕

It’s entirely possible that the whole point of vaccinating against just four specific virus strains is simply to ensure Merck & Co. keeps raking in the cash...

Kyle Brown88 said:It’s totally possible the whole point of vaccinating against just four specific virus types is simply to make sure Merck & Co. keeps the cash flowing.

Someone already touched on this earlier—those four strains are directly linked to the development of cervical cancer. I mean, are you secretly on the payroll at Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson given how much you're dragging Merck? Sorry, that last part was directed at Jamie Rivera78...

Brenda Sanders46 said:Someone already hit you with this one; those four things are linked to the development of cervical cancer.... You working for Schering or Merck or something since you're spitting so much venom at Merck? Sorry, that last part was directed at Jamie Rivera78...

While we’ve got massive ad campaigns for Gardasil blowing up all over the place here in America, Spain withdraws cervical cancer Shot after illnesses Feb 10 because the side effects were just too much to handle.
Looking at the data, Gardasil eventually saves maybe 1 or 2 lives for every million people who get the jab.

Jamie Rivera78 said:It’s funny how things work out... while we're seeing huge ad campaigns for Gardasil popping up all over the States, over in Spain they actually pulled it from the market because of some really unacceptable side effects.
According to Merck, Gardasil eventually saves about 1 to 2 lives per million people vaccinated.

Hey, could you please back that up with some actual facts? I'd love to see your sources for those claims...

Hey there!
I’ve been hunting around trying to find some info online—I really need to get an HPV test scheduled. The tricky part is, it feels like nobody can give me a straight answer on where to actually go. I heard a rumor that it might be handled through a clinic out in Seattle, so if anyone here has been through the process recently, I’d love to grab some pointers or details from you.

Look, according to the CDC, cervical cancer used to be the absolute heavy hitter—the leading cause of cancer death for Women in The United States. But, fast forward 40 years, and both the case numbers and the death tolls have plummeted. The common theory? It's because more women are getting those routine Pap tests, catching pre-cancerous cells before they actually turn into the real deal.

If you check out the U.S. Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality report, back in 2004, about 11,892 women in the U.S. were diagnosed, and 3,850 passed away from it. The American Cancer Society puts up similar numbers, guessing around 3,870 women would lose their lives to cervical cancer in the U.S. in 2008.

But here's the kicker. We’ve already seen 18 girls—some just 12 years old—lose everything just because we tried to dodge the "possibility" of cancer later on. Then you've got others hitting massive, life-altering health crises just weeks after getting the jab, or dealing with miscarriages and babies born with defects. It's heavy stuff.

Also consider this : Cervical cancer usually develops in Your latiti 20. Now, the window of protection for Gardasil is supposedly only about 5 years. Think about that math: if you get the first round at 10 years old, you're looking at needing two to four more boosters just to coast through your 30s. You're basically signing up to deal with the potential side effects of Gardasil over and over and over again.

But alright, here’s the real gut punch. I want you to read this part a few times. Really let it sit with you...

The data shows there are roughly 30 to 40 cervical cancer cases per million women annually in the 9 to 26 age range—which is exactly the demographic Gardasil is aiming for (and what they used for testing).

According to Merck, Gardasil cuts pre-cancer rates by somewhere between 12.2% and 16.5% for the general public. So, instead of seeing 30 to 40 cases per million in that specific age group, the vaccine might nudge that number down to maybe 26 to 35.

Do the math. To save just 4 or 5 girls from getting cervical cancer, you’d have to vaccinate an entire million girls.

On top of that, since about 37 percent of women who get cervical cancer actually die from it, vaccinating ONE MILLION girls only prevents maybe 1 or 2 deaths every single year. And we're talking about a $360 million annual price tag to achieve that, not even counting the endless, priceless suffering of all those other women.

US pulls cervical cancer shot following reports of illness
Feb 10, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Associated Press) — Health officials here have pulled tens of thousands of doses of a cervical cancer vaccine off the market. This comes after two teenagers ended up in the hospital right after getting their shots, according to local authorities on Tuesday.

A massive batch—we’re talking nearly 76,000 doses—of the HPV vaccine was yanked from circulation. A government announcement confirmed the move after two girls over in the Miami area fell seriously ill just hours after being jabbed.

"One of the girls finally made it out of intensive care this weekend, while the other one is still hanging in there. Both ara in stable condition," a spokesperson for Miami health told the Associated Press.

Both girls had been vaccinated just last week as part of a huge government-run immunization drive aimed at teens.

@Jamie Rivera78/">@@Jamie Rivera78

Look, since you're such a die-hard alternative type and clearly against any kind of vaccination from birth to old age... I’m asking you to please just stick to the actual topic here without throwing out those random stats or all those wild theories about Big Pharma conspiracies trying to poison everyone.
If you really want to rant about that stuff on the forum... fine, whatever... but maybe pick a different thread for it.

Scott Allen10 said:@Jamie Rivera78/">@@Jamie Rivera78

Look, since you're basically a hardcore, die-hard alternative guy who’s been anti-vax since day one... please, for the love of god, just stick to the actual topic here. Stop throwing out these random stats and those wild "Big Pharma is poisoning the world" conspiracy theories.
If you want to rant about that on Reddit... fine by me. But take it somewhere else.

Man, you really went overboard with those personal jabs. Honestly, it feels like you don't give a damn about people's actual health.