Harnessing the power of prevention: human papillomavirus vaccines

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-associated diseases pose a considerable health care burden in the United States. The morbidity and mortality associated with HPV infection and HPV-associated diseases, ranging from genital warts to cervical cancer, have prompted both the use of screening measures to monitor HPV infection and the development of numerous treatment modalities to address its clinical sequelae. Although screening programs have dramatically reduced the incidence of cervical cancer through early detection and treatment, this devastating illness, which frequently affects women of reproductive age, remains a major public health concern. Prophylactic vaccines that prevent HPV infection have proved to be safe, well tolerated, highly efficacious, and induce long-lasting immunity to HPV. Multivalent vaccines that protect against the most common disease-causing HPV types should significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with HPV.