A common misconception with human papillomavirus (HPV) is that it is important for girls to get vaccinated to protect them from cervical cancer. Most of the larger population may not be aware of the fact that the HPV vaccine can also protect men from HPV-related cancers.
“HPV prevalence in men peaks at age 25-29 and remains high until at least age 50. Dr Shubham Jain, senior consultant, surgical oncology, RGCIRC, says, “The prevalence is also higher in the 15-19 year age group, which suggests that young men are increasingly getting infected after sexual activity for the first time “
A research finding showed that men maintain stable rates of genital HPV detection across different age groups, as well as low seroconversion rates (development of antibodies) after HPV infection. This points to men being susceptible to HPV infection throughout their lifetime.
“Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) generally fall into two groups – low and high risk. High-risk HPV viruses can cause different types of cancer such as cervical cancer, anal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, penile cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer. It is not surprising that most sexually active people become infected with the virus within a few months to a few years of becoming sexually active,” explains Jain.
Additionally, the pattern of infection within this demographic is different than among women. In women, the incidence of genital HPV peaks after initial sexual activity decreases with age, and experiences a subtle resurgence after age 50–55, which often coincides with the timing of menopause in some individuals. Eats or happens. In the absence of any recommended screening test for men, the burden of high-risk HPV infection is estimated to affect 1 in 5 men over the age of 15.
Although most of the time, the body clears these infections within two years without causing any health problems, they can persist in about 1 in 10 cases, eventually leading to genital warts or cancer. Therefore it becomes necessary to cover boys also.
