Diagnoses in Australia reduced by 59 percent in young women, 28 percent in heterosexual men
TUESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for females aged 12 to 26 years in Australia substantially reduced the diagnosis of genital warts among females, and subsequently decreased the diagnosis of genital warts among unvaccinated heterosexual men, according to a study published online Nov. 9 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Basil Donovan, M.D., of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues obtained standardized data for genital warts frequency, HPV vaccination status, sexual behavior, and demographic factors for 112,083 new patients attending eight sexual health services in Australia between January 2004 and December 2009.
The investigators identified genital warts in 9 percent of the patients. Prior to initiation of the vaccine program, the proportion of women or heterosexual men diagnosed with genital warts was unchanged. After implementation of the vaccine program, the investigators found a decline in the number of diagnoses of genital warts for young female residents (59 percent). However, no significant decline was found for female non-residents, women older than 26 years of age in July 2007, or in men who have sex with men. However, proportionally fewer heterosexual men (28 percent) were diagnosed with genital warts during the period of vaccination.
"The decrease in frequency of genital warts in young Australian women resulting from the high coverage of HPV vaccination might provide protective effects in heterosexual men through herd immunity," the authors write.
The study was funded by CSL Biotherapies; several authors disclosed financial ties to CSL Biotherapies and other pharmaceutical companies.
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