CDC suggests men receive HPV vaccine

HPV vaccines aren't just for women anymore.

The Centers for Disease Control has suggested that men should begin receiving the three-shot HPV vaccination to prevent spreading genital warts and human papilloma virus.

"This has been a permissive recommendation to vaccinate boys for several years," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said. "More information has become available about the effectiveness of the vaccine as well as some information and new data about the safety of the vaccine [and] cost-effectiveness of the vaccine."

But the American public has been slow to get on board.

"It's probably because parents don't want to admit that their kids are going out and partying ... and letting it all hang out," finance sophomore James Blass said. "[Getting vaccinated] is a good thing to do, but I don't think we should be told to do it."

Maddie Louviere, apparel design freshman, said she was familiar with the vaccination before she received it.

"I knew what it protected me from," Louviere said. "It was just like a normal shot. It's not that serious of a thing to do, and it helps you a lot."

Louviere said men have just as much responsibility to be vaccinated.

"I think it's only fair that guys get it too," Louviere said. "You don't want to catch something from someone you're with now and then have it when you get married."

Full-time students and those who pay the Student Health fee can receive the Gardisil injection at the Student Health Center, said Ashley Granger, Health Promotion Coordinator at the LSU Health Center, in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille.

"The CDC estimated that 75 to 80 percent of males and females will be infected with HPV in their lifetime," Granger said.

Males can be carriers of HPV because the virus is common, Granger said.

"If the male is sexually active, then he could be a carrier," she said. "Most men who get HPV never develop any symptoms or health problems."

Even if a person already has a form of HPV, the vaccination will still provide protection from spreading different strains of the virus, Granger said.

The need for the vaccine is growing, Skinner said.

"There are estimates out there that half the population at some point will be infected with the human papillomavirus," Skinner said. "It can also cause various types of cancers in men and cervical cancer in women."

The best way to be safe is to get vaccinated, Skinner said.

"There's really no good, effective way of screening to see if someone has HPV," Skinner said. "That's why the advisory committee is recommending a universal recommendation like this."

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Contact Kittu Pannu at kpannu@lsureveille.com