The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has strengthened and expanded its recommendation for vaccinating boys and young men with the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, primarily to reduce the risk of anal cancer, penile cancer, and certain types of head and neck cancers caused mainly by HPV 16. The updated recommendations were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report last October and online January 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

ACIP calls for the routine [HPV] vaccination of males aged 11 to 12 years, with catch-up vaccination recommended for males aged 13 to 21 years. The recommendations specifically call for vaccination with Gardasil, which protects against infection with four HPV types: 6, 11, 16, and 18. Types 6 and 11 cause genital warts, and types 16 and 18 cause cancer.

They also recommend that  HPV vaccination for previously unvaccinated males aged 22 to 26 years who are immunocompromised, who test positive for HIV infection, or who have sex with men.