Many queer men still aren’t taking advantage of this simple measure to protect their health
study looked at gay men in San Francisco. The results were presented at the most recent International AIDS Conference (#AIDS2024).Researchers interviewed 497 participants, of which 87% identified as gay.
Just 45% said they remembered having at least one shot of the HPV vaccine. This rose to 63% of those taking PrEP. Around 56% of those who were HIV positive said they’d never had the HPV vaccine.
It’s important to note that the “majority” of those interviewed were over the recommended age of vaccination. Younger men questioned were more likely to have received the vaccine, with about three-quarters of men ages 18 to 29 saying they’d had it.
That’s encouraging, but there’s still room for improvement.“Despite high risk for HPV and resulting anal cancer, fewer than half of MSM [men who have sex with men] in San Francisco were vaccinated, even among MSM living with HIV,” note the researchers.“To close the gap, we recommend healthcare providers verify past vaccination history and offer HPV vaccination to unvaccinated men, particularly those who disclose being MSM, who are older and not vaccinated as children, and those who are living with HIV. “US and worldwide HPV vaccination policies that specifically address MSM are needed, such as recommending vaccination for MSM at any age.”The younger you are when you receive the HPV vaccine, the greater the chance of it offering protection before you’re exposed to the wart virus.
