HPV vaccine more effective when given before females become sexually active?
With all the debate about mandating use of HPV vaccine, this week's issue of the NEJM has 2 articles showing it is 98-100% effective. Further in a study of 12000 women 15-26 years old 93% had been sexually active on entry into the study and 27% had been infected by at least one type of HPV. Editorials in the same issue note that there are more than 100 types of HPV and 17 are thought to cause cancer. WIll other types fill lhe cancer niche if the vaccine knocks out two of the variants? The pros and cons are well debated in the journal and should be read.