3 ms·

Gardasil 9 hits enough of the HPV variants that the rate of cancer-causing HPV infections has fallen by 90% in the US. And that's with the fraction of folks who

Gardasil 9 hits enough of the HPV variants that the rate of cancer-causing HPV infections has fallen by 90% in the US. And that's with the fraction of folks who are anti-vaxxers taken into account. This is one of those diseases where the means to prevent being infected is already in hand.

jjtheblunt 5y ago
Why do they only offer it to teens (in the US , from what I've seen)?
- asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
  You can get it up 'til you're 45 (after that it's not approved), but you have to ask. My understanding is most adults have already been infected, so it is not considered very important to vaccinate them. If you haven't had any or many sexual partners, I reckon it could make sense to get it even if you're not a teen any more. On the other hand, if you've been with more than a handful of people, you've probably already been infected.
  - monetus 5y ago
    It will still provide immunity towards other versions of the virus - I've been told it still makes sense even if you have been infected
  - sitkack 5y ago
    I don't think you should be advising people to NOT do things unless it is actively unsafe.
    - asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
      I did not advise inaction at any point in my comment. I conveyed some information about why health policy has the configuration it currently does.
  - Moto7451 5y ago
    Until they opened it up to 45 year olds I was always a year or two too old (or just male when it was approved only for females). I’m to get my third dose in a few weeks. I’m married but it just makes sense to guard against preventable illness. I’ve only been with a few partners total so it’s likely that I’m gaining some level of protection from getting a head and neck cancer. There are some reports of gaining some immune response to HPV strains not targeted directly by Gardasil 9. This makes sense since there are hundreds of strains and while it may not have a practical affect on me, it’s a nice feeling to know that I’m gaining some protection.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- quickthrowman 5y ago
  When you start having sex you’ll likely be exposed to the virus. Once you have been exposed, the vaccine doesn’t do you any good. The number of people in an age cohort that haven’t had sex rapidly approaches 0 as that cohort ages into adulthood. Therefore, it is almost entirely offered to teens to try and vaccinate before they’re naturally exposed.
refurb 5y ago
Do you have a source for the 90% reduction? It can only be given to teens so most people haven’t gotten Gardisil and if you already have HPV (most do) it doesn’t make it go away.
- Moto7451 5y ago
  https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/i... Under the “Preventing HPV” section. You can also be vaccinated as an adult. I’m half way through my series.
  - refurb 5y ago
    That’s not the same stat.
- asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
  https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine-for-hpv.html https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine-for-hpv.html "Among teen girls, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88 percent." This isn't exactly the same statistic as what I said, since not all HPV infections occur during teenage years. But this is the statistic I was referring to. Apologies for my imprecision.

jjtheblunt 5y ago

Why do they only offer it to teens (in the US , from what I've seen)?

asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
You can get it up 'til you're 45 (after that it's not approved), but you have to ask. My understanding is most adults have already been infected, so it is not considered very important to vaccinate them. If you haven't had any or many sexual partners, I reckon it could make sense to get it even if you're not a teen any more. On the other hand, if you've been with more than a handful of people, you've probably already been infected.
- monetus 5y ago
  It will still provide immunity towards other versions of the virus - I've been told it still makes sense even if you have been infected
- sitkack 5y ago
  I don't think you should be advising people to NOT do things unless it is actively unsafe.
  - asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
    I did not advise inaction at any point in my comment. I conveyed some information about why health policy has the configuration it currently does.
- Moto7451 5y ago
  Until they opened it up to 45 year olds I was always a year or two too old (or just male when it was approved only for females). I’m to get my third dose in a few weeks. I’m married but it just makes sense to guard against preventable illness. I’ve only been with a few partners total so it’s likely that I’m gaining some level of protection from getting a head and neck cancer. There are some reports of gaining some immune response to HPV strains not targeted directly by Gardasil 9. This makes sense since there are hundreds of strains and while it may not have a practical affect on me, it’s a nice feeling to know that I’m gaining some protection.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
quickthrowman 5y ago
When you start having sex you’ll likely be exposed to the virus. Once you have been exposed, the vaccine doesn’t do you any good. The number of people in an age cohort that haven’t had sex rapidly approaches 0 as that cohort ages into adulthood. Therefore, it is almost entirely offered to teens to try and vaccinate before they’re naturally exposed.

refurb 5y ago

Do you have a source for the 90% reduction? It can only be given to teens so most people haven’t gotten Gardisil and if you already have HPV (most do) it doesn’t make it go away.

Moto7451 5y ago
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/i... Under the “Preventing HPV” section. You can also be vaccinated as an adult. I’m half way through my series.
- refurb 5y ago
  That’s not the same stat.
asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine-for-hpv.html https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine-for-hpv.html "Among teen girls, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88 percent." This isn't exactly the same statistic as what I said, since not all HPV infections occur during teenage years. But this is the statistic I was referring to. Apologies for my imprecision.