Why didn’t Merck test their HPV vaccine for men/boys? It’s approved in Europe for boys ages 9-15, so why don’t you hear about it?
Now some men are asking for the shot off-label in the hopes that it will work for them.
But 30-year-old Adam Kawalek says he believes getting the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is just as important for him too.
“Up until now, most people think of HPV disease as a woman’s disease of the cervix and there are a lot of gay men who don’t know much about HPV,” says Kawalek.
Gardasil’s been proven to protect against HPV strains responsible for most cervical cancers. But HPV, which can be spread even with use of a condom, also causes genital warts, and anal and penile cancers in men.
A lot of men, especially gay men whose sexual practices can lead to an increased risk for those diseases, say they’ve been seeking out the vaccine because they believe it could also help protect them.
