3 ms·

I'd still get it no matter how late in life. For instance warts on your feet can also be caused by HPV. There are a ton of strains of HPV so perhaps the vacci

I'd still get it no matter how late in life. For instance warts on your feet can also be caused by HPV. There are a ton of strains of HPV so perhaps the vaccine wouldn't protect you but with insurance coverage and no (AFAIK) downside why not get it?

refurb 7y ago
There are hundreds of strains and Gardasil protects against 3 (last time I checked). Namely the ones associated with cervical cancer. Correction: Gardasil 9 covers 9. Prior version withdrawn.
- technofiend 7y ago
  True enough, but it covers some of the most important ones. So it's better than nothing. Copying my other post: ... three vaccines prevent infection with HPV types 16 and 18, two high-risk HPVs that cause about 70% of cervical cancers and an even higher percentage of some of the other HPV-caused cancers (1, 2). Gardasil also prevents infection with HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts (3). Gardasil 9 prevents infection with the same four HPV types plus five additional cancer-causing types (31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) that together account for 10 to 20% of cervical cancers.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  It targets 9. There's some evidence for "off-target" effects on other strains too.
  - masonic 7y ago
    "off-target" effects on other strains too Source, please? That seems really unlikely given that these are genetic vectors and do not rely on stimulating the immune system (which also means fewer side effects).
    - mattkrause 7y ago
      Wild, right? I'll try to dig up the ref when I have a moment. The WHO report, linked above, mentions that the bivalent vaccines also have limited effects on other strains, but they're mostly covered by the newer 4/9-valent ones. I'm pretty certain I saw another report suggesting it can hit other strains too, though again, not very effectively. This was the rationale for some of the ancedotes about people's warts disappearing and all that.
    - mattkrause 7y ago
      Also, I think there's some confusion about how the vaccines work. They're definitely intended to provoke an immune response, but the new ones don't use virus products. Instead, they contain particles (made by yeast) that assemble themselves into something that closely resembles the virus's structure. The immune system raises antibodies against that, priming it for dealing with future infections. More here (including a picture of the virus, which is quite pretty): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800545 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800545

refurb 7y ago

There are hundreds of strains and Gardasil protects against 3 (last time I checked). Namely the ones associated with cervical cancer. Correction: Gardasil 9 covers 9. Prior version withdrawn.

technofiend 7y ago
True enough, but it covers some of the most important ones. So it's better than nothing. Copying my other post: ... three vaccines prevent infection with HPV types 16 and 18, two high-risk HPVs that cause about 70% of cervical cancers and an even higher percentage of some of the other HPV-caused cancers (1, 2). Gardasil also prevents infection with HPV types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts (3). Gardasil 9 prevents infection with the same four HPV types plus five additional cancer-causing types (31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) that together account for 10 to 20% of cervical cancers.
mattkrause 7y ago
It targets 9. There's some evidence for "off-target" effects on other strains too.
- masonic 7y ago
  "off-target" effects on other strains too Source, please? That seems really unlikely given that these are genetic vectors and do not rely on stimulating the immune system (which also means fewer side effects).
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    Wild, right? I'll try to dig up the ref when I have a moment. The WHO report, linked above, mentions that the bivalent vaccines also have limited effects on other strains, but they're mostly covered by the newer 4/9-valent ones. I'm pretty certain I saw another report suggesting it can hit other strains too, though again, not very effectively. This was the rationale for some of the ancedotes about people's warts disappearing and all that.
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    Also, I think there's some confusion about how the vaccines work. They're definitely intended to provoke an immune response, but the new ones don't use virus products. Instead, they contain particles (made by yeast) that assemble themselves into something that closely resembles the virus's structure. The immune system raises antibodies against that, priming it for dealing with future infections. More here (including a picture of the virus, which is quite pretty): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800545 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23800545