{"id":147459,"date":"2017-01-19T18:53:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/almost-50-of-u-s-men-have-hpv-reveals-jama-report\/"},"modified":"2017-01-19T18:53:22","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:53:22","slug":"almost-50-of-u-s-men-have-hpv-reveals-jama-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/almost-50-of-u-s-men-have-hpv-reveals-jama-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Almost 50% of U.S. men have HPV reveals JAMA report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost half of America’s male population has HPV, new figures reveal.<\/p>\n

But just 10 percent of men have pursued getting the three-shot vaccination to protect themselves against the sexually-transmitted virus, which can cause cancer.<\/p>\n

The new report, published in JAMA Oncology on Thursday, found HPV is least common among men aged 18 to 22 years old, affecting around 29 percent of them.<\/p>\n

Once they hit 23, however, diagnoses rocket to a staggering 46.5 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And yet, while all men under the age of 26 are advised to get the vaccine, only 10 percent of men below 27 have enrolled themselves for the jab.<\/p>\n

Experts say the figures show a need for a two-shot vaccine – rather than three – to bring America’s most common STI under control, and save millions of men from preventable cancers.<\/p>\n

\"Almost
\n \"Almost<\/p>\n

Almost half of American males have HPV, figures reveal. But just 10 percent have pursued getting the three-shot vaccine to protect themselves against the STI, which can cause cancer<\/p>\n

WHAT IS HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV)?\u00a0<\/h3>\n

HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted infection.<\/p>\n

In fact, almost every sexually active man or woman will get it during their lifetime.<\/p>\n

It is spread through sex and oral sex with someone who has the virus, regardless of whether they show symptoms.<\/p>\n

Many people never show symptoms, and the majority of cases go away without treatment.<\/p>\n

However, it can sometimes cause genital warts and\/or cancer.<\/p>\n

Symptoms can arise years after infection.<\/p>\n

Around 99 per cent of cervical cancer diagnoses are related to infections like HPV.<\/p>\n

HPV can also cause cancers of the throat, neck, tongue, tonsils, vulva, vagina, penis or anus.<\/p>\n

Often, the cancer does not develop until years after a patient was infected with HPV.<\/p>\n

Source: CDC<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The new JAMA report, by the Womack Army Medical Center in North Carolina, is based on data from\u00a0the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014.<\/p>\n

It comes amid a wave of calls from health professionals, urging the CDC to scrap the three-shot program.<\/p>\n

Last week, the National Cancer Institute’s 69 centers released a joint statement urging for a change of policy.<\/p>\n

‘The HPV vaccine has nothing to do with sex. It’s all about preventing cancer,’ said Electra Paskett, PhD and co-program leader of the Cancer Control Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Getting children and parents to comply with two doses is a lot easier than three doses,’ said Paskett, an influential leader in this national effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In October, a\u00a0government panel published a report that concluded preteens only need two doses of the HPV vaccine, instead of three.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The panel warned busy parents sometimes struggle to get their kids to the doctor three times within six months to get all the shots.<\/p>\n

Recent studies have shown two doses of the leading HPV vaccine \u2014 Gardasil 9 \u2014 are enough, and can be spaced a year apart.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Male HPV vaccination programs have been available to the public since 2009 – though last year the CDC made it mandatory for pre-teen boys, rather than just girls.<\/p>\n

Initially, HPV was most strongly linked to cervical cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, after a years-long debate on the topic, scientists concluded there was strong enough evidence that the virus also causes head, neck and throat cancer in men.<\/p>\n

Unveiling the new guidelines last year, the CDC doubled down on the need for widespread vaccination, claiming it could save millions of people from preventable cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Initially, the verdict was met with apprehension.<\/p>\n

A survey published by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in August revealed the majority of parents would not support the HPV vaccine being administered in schools – unless they could opt out.<\/p>\n