HPV Vaccine

FL Dept of Health in Pinellas - Immunization Outreach Program

727-824-6900

HPV Vax Now

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly contagious infection that is very common in the United States, where an estimated 14 million people are newly infected each year. More than 200 types of HPV exist. Most do not cause health problems. However, certain HPV types can cause genital warts or cancers of the cervix, penis, vagina, anus, and oropharynx. By age 50, 4 out of 5 women will have been infected with HPV at one point in their lives. HPV is also very common in men, and often they have no symptoms.

Which cancers are caused by HPV?
Can HPV vaccines prevent HPV infection?
General Information
EDUCATION (VIDEOS)

High-risk HPVs cause several types of cancer.

Cervical cancer: Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV, and just two HPV types, 16 and 18, are responsible for over 70 percent of all cases.
Anal cancer: About 91 percent of anal cancers are caused by HPV. Most of these are caused by HPV type 16.
Oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the middle part of the throat, including the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils): About 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV. In the United States, more than half of cancers diagnosed in the oropharynx are linked to HPV type 16.
Rarer cancers: HPV causes about 75 percent of vaginal cancers, 69 percent of vulvar cancers, and 63 percent of penile cancers. Most of these are caused by HPV type 16.

People who are not sexually active almost never develop genital HPV infections. In addition, HPV vaccination before sexual activity can reduce the risk of infection by the HPV types targeted by the vaccine.

Gardasil 9 is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This vaccine provides strong protection against new HPV infections, but they are not effective at treating established HPV infections or disease caused by HPV.

Correct and consistent condom use is associated with reduced HPV transmission between sexual partners, but less frequent condom use is not. However, because areas not covered by a condom can be infected by the virus, condoms are unlikely to provide complete protection against the infection.