.
November 10, 2009
Judy Wu
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has only been given to women, but doctors are trying to make the vaccine available to men. Clinical trials are processing, but is the change going to make a difference?
Every year in Health Class, students learn about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but students don’t know HPV is the most common STI. Health teacher Ruth Bauer states HPV has already affected 70% of women in the world.
Genital warts are a type of HPV. Since genital warts affect both females and males, Bauer thinks giving the HPV vaccine for males would be beneficial.
“There aren’t any treatments for the viruses currently so the vaccine is the best way to be protected from HPV viruses,” Bauer said.
However, a vaccination is not an excuse for unsafe sex. As both Bauer and health teacher Fernando Sotelo say, the best way to protect oneself against HPV and other STIs is to use condoms or practice abstinence.
“If the vaccine is provided to males, it would decrease the amount of viruses passed on from the male population, [but] doesn’t really inform the public about the real dangers of the viruses,” Sotelo said.
