Jason Mendelsohn was pondering a question during a financial exam in 2014 when his fingers grazed his neck, making him notice a bump he hadn’t felt before.

He consulted his father, a doctor, who told him they’d need to call an ear, nose and throat physician. This led to a doctor’s consultation, which eventually led to a diagnosis. At 44, he was told he had HPV-related throat cancer.

CDC today recommended that 11- to 12-year-olds receive two doses of HPV vaccine at least six months apart rather than the previously recommended three doses to protect against cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Teens and young adults who start the series later, at ages 15 through 26 years, will continue to need three doses of HPV vaccine to protect against cancer-causing HPV infection.

A vaccine introduced a decade ago to combat the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer has already reduced the virus’s prevalence in teenage girls by almost two-thirds, federal researchers said Monday.

Merck announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the age indication for Gardasil 9 (human papillomavirus 9-valent vaccine [recombinant]) in males. It now includes use in males aged 16–26 for the prevention of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 59; precancerous or dysplastic lesions caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58; and genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11.

More adolescents received the HPV vaccine when the vaccine was discussed in the context of other vaccines, and when the providers said they expected that the vaccine would be administered at the visit, results from a multisite study suggest.

Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) are recommended for routine use in adolescents aged 11 to 12 years in the United States, but uptake remains suboptimal. Educational interventions focused on parents and patients to increase coverage have not generally demonstrated effectiveness.

The goal of this study was to identify the rationale by parents/guardians and providers for delaying or administering human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to girls.

"When administered to adolescents, the HPV4 vaccine demonstrated durability in clinically effective protection and sustained antibody titers over eight years," concluded the researchers.

A new study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found no association between the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and short- or long-term health concerns.