User:Polly691/Men denied anti-cancer vaccine

Males have been denied inclusion in the Australian Federal Government's national immunisation program to prevent cervical cancer.

The drug is administered to prevent four strains of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) that cause genital warts and pre-cancerous lesions in both men and women. A 2008 Government study revealed Gardasil stopped HPV-related genital warts in 90 per cent of cases.

HPV infections do not just effect women, but can induce penile, anal and oral cancers in men. Homosexual males are also at high risk of contracting the disease, passing the infection from men to men. Gardasil vaccine has proven to be highly effective in immunising against genital warts and preventing male cancers.

Immunising males and females would have the greatest impact on the HPV disease, a CSL spokesperson has stated.

CSL continues to fight to make the vaccine available to men.