What Does the HPV Vaccine Achieve?
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, affecting about 1 in 4 women between 14 and 59. Exposure usually occurs within the first few years of sexual activity, but infections often go unrecognized because there may be no symptoms. The vast majority of HPV infections clear up on their own. Worldwide, 70 percent of women who develop cervical cancer have been infected with either HPV 16 or HPV 18, two of the strains the Gardasil vaccine targets. But most women infected with even such “high-risk” strains of HPV will not develop cervical cancer. In addition to effectively protecting against HPV 16 and HPV 18, Gardasil protects against types 6 and 11, two strains that can cause genital warts but not cervical cancer. Cervarix, a vaccine that GlaxoSmithKline expects to introduce in the United States soon, also protects against HPV types 16 and 18, but not the strains that can cause genital warts. Both Gardasil and Cervarix may provide partial cross-protection
